The Dark Demon

Blake felt like a train rammed into him. He thought he was going to be picking the pieces of his bones if he somehow miraculously survived the hit.

However, when he opened his eyes, he found his body still intact, just some terrible pains that made his body ache.

Yet, that wasn't what bothered him. What bothers him is the big, black monster pressing him to the walls of the cave.

Through the night goggles, he saw a faceless monster, with only a maw filled with finger-length, razor-sharp teeth. The black monster had a face that was smooth except for the mouth. After he took a closer look, he saw a pair of black eyes that camouflaged perfectly with its face. He didn't see the nose, though. The monster had the stature of a gorilla, especially the waist, and also had bulging muscles.

"Grrr!" The loud growling of the monster woke him.

Currently, Blake was suspended from the ground and pinned to the wall of the cave. He tried to move but found out that his strength could only allow him to make minor movements. Worst of all, he lost his sword.

"Dark demons!" Ella exclaimed, making the already racing Blake's heart beat faster. He recalled Scarlett's words. The least dark demon had the strength of an elemental transcendent.

He knew his life was currently hanging by a thin thread. He wanted to headbutt the dark demon, but the gaping maw of the fiend made him halt his reckless action, mid-way.

The dark demon's hand wrapped around his chest, leaving only his hands and legs free. Blake didn't know why the dark demon just opened its maw without doing anything, but he knew one thing–escape or die. The dark demon had a blank look, but Blake couldn't see it due to his anxiousness.

Blake started using his hands and legs to hit the hand that restricted him. However, it was all useless.

'If one time doesn't work, maybe ten will work. If ten don't work, maybe a hundred will finish the job!' That was the thought running through Blake's mind.

He forgot about Ella's existence and had never turned to her; apart from the first time. He never bet on her for his survival. Perhaps it was because of her shy and weak personality, or he assumed she had already run for her safety.

"Ding!" A metallic sound disrupted the tense atmosphere of Blake kicking the dark demon. Blake and the dark demon looked downward at the same time, and an arrow entered their vision. Like a perfect pair, they turned to the side and saw Ella, holding her bow with a shaky hand. Unfortunately, Ella's attack just spooked the dark demon from its daze. Unfortunately, Ella's attack just spooked the dark demon from its daze.

"Grrr!" The demon roared ferociously, before throwing Blake aside and chasing after its new prey–Ella.

Ella shrieked loudly before running into the depth of the cave, and the dark demon pursued. Blake stood up and gasped for breath. Although the dark demon never tightened its hand, its presence alone was oppressive.

After relieving himself, he wanted to run out of the cave. To leave the hellhole!

However, a demonic whisper killed the thought. "She's Scarlett's sister. The moment you leave the cave without her sister, Scarlett might stop protecting you. Jasper will…" Hecate's whisper trailed off, but her message was well received by Blake.

Although he was surprised that his night goggles hadn't fallen off, he didn't dwell on it. Gritting his teeth with firm eyes, he picked up his sword and chased after the trail of the demon.

"Bloodthirsty and deranged!" Blake muttered as he got closer and heard the growling of the beast. The floor and the wall of the cave became rough and filled with protruding rocks.

With a shaky heart, he got close enough to see the beast. He saw the beast smashing itself into the cave wall, which made him think the dark demon wanted to commit suicide. However, when he took a closer look, he saw a narrow crevice.

"Oh f**k me! Ella is inside the crevice. And it's a dead-end passage," Blake cursed as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Ella was stuck in the narrow crevice, which saved her from the dark demon, who tried to force its way into the crevice.

Blake stood in his position, thinking of a solution to get her out alive. Fighting the dark demon was out of the option. He simulated many situations and all ended in his death.

A smirk crept onto his lips as a viable plan formed in his head.

He sneaked up close to the dark demon, but far enough to raise his speed to the maximum.

'Let's perform the first trial for the sonic sword. The man in the virtual reality used it to slice a car into two,' Blake thought as he held his breath, afraid of drawing the attention of the dark demon.

Gripping his sword firmly, he burst with his fastest and instantaneous speed. Moving like a whirlwind with his body cutting through the resistive air, and his muscles taut, he arrived one step from the dark demon. He squatted a little to gather power and performed a power leap to reach the nape of the dark demon. When the nape of the dark demon entered his vision, he slashed with all the strength he could muster.

However, the expected rolling of the head didn't happen. Black blood just sprayed like a broken hose. The sword cut one-fifth of the dark demon's neck. Recalling the scene of the virtual reality man slicing a car into two halves like a watermelon, his face scrunched up. It made him realize why it's called virtual reality, forgetting that it's his first time handling a sword and the skill.

Without dwelling on his failure, he stepped on the dark demon's arm, performed a backflip, and landed on the ground shakily. Because the cave wasn't cramped, it made Blake perform his stunt easily.

His action attracted the attention of the dark demon and at the same time angered it. It turned to Blake and growled.

Blake turned and bolted in the direction of the entrance. The dark demon abandoned Ella and chased after Blake without any hesitation, confirming Blake's guess of its low intelligence.

The far demon was just five meters behind Blake. When Blake got to a sharp bend, he performed a sharp turn which made him disappear from the monster's vision, and he jumped into the crevice at the sharp bend. His heart was still hanging, thinking that his actions didn't deceive the dark demon. However, his fear was needless, as the dark demon growled and ran past the crevice.

He waited for a while before his hanging heart dropped.

He rushed to meet Ella, who was still shivering in her cave. She buried her head in her knees.

"Scarlett, oh Scarlett! You sent your sister for me to babysit?" Blake muttered rhetorically with a weak sigh.

"Hey, come out, let's go," Blake said calmly.

When Ella raised her head and saw Blake, the tears she held, finally fell freely. She rushed and threw herself on Blake, sobbing silently. Blake was at a loss for words and action. Throughout his life, even as an actor, he never consoled anybody.

After waiting for a while, and she isn't showing any sign of stopping, Blake had to interrupt her. "Alright, there is no harm for now. Let's go before that thing arrives. We should think of a way to leave this hellhole."

"We just need to turn off the elemental detector and the problem is solved," Ella said calmly while rubbing her red eyes.

However, Blake was looking at her like she was a lunatic.

'Maybe the fear of death and the dark demon finally made her deranged.'

"Don't give me those eyes. I have an alarm that can notify my sister to bring emergency backup. However, if she comes in now and the elemental detector detects her presence, notifying the madman experimenting, things might be worse. He might decide to commit suicide to avoid being caught by blowing up the cave, burying us in the process," Ella explained calmly.

"Bravo! What thoughtful and comprehensive thinking of the pup Davis." A voice sounded from behind, shocking both Blake and Ella.

"Did I ever tell you that your voice heralds deadly danger?" Blake asked with a scrunched-up face.