An Unusual Tactic

He picked up the broken pieces of wood and rolled to his side. There, he scrutinized the demon as large and frightening as it was.

He stared down at his stick, now half its original size. He had intended to attack the demon although it was improbable to cause any harm.

He waited until the demon made its way to him. Its large feet and powerful legs sent vibrations and shockwaves throughout the building.

"I hope this building doesn't collapse before this demon's hefty feet reach me," he thought, quivering due to the cold.

As the demon approached, Levi braced himself for the impending danger. He raised his stick at the exact moment the demon swung its long arms. Its arms collided with the stick, and using that to engage the demon, he ran away.

Filled with fear and bathed in a chilly environment, he ran to a serene corner of the room filled with piles of dust and materials.

He rushed to the pile of discarded items, lifted them, and jumped into their confinement where he lay, secure.

In the desolate corner, he still felt the immense vibration of the floor, and he prayed not to cave into the lower floors. He slowly dug out a pile of dirt and observed the demon through the hole.

In his shelter of dirt, he contemplated on how to destroy the demon although the sight of it never failed to prove discouraging.

He spent a few more minutes, resting and contemplating in the room knowing that the demon would locate him. He moved deeper into the pile of dirt and made a resting place amid the battle.

"What's worse than dying worn out? At least let me get a decent rest before I face death," he thought, resting his head on the soft pile of paper he had just found.

He kept his hands on his head and stared into the dark roof of the dirt that somehow stood erect.

Sooner or later, the demon would spot Levi, and the first was the case.

Immediately, Levi felt an external force at the entrance. The hole of a little diameter had widened, and he spotted the repulsive face of the demon.

He sprung up from his rested position and moved backward towards the wall as he watched the dirt slowly collapse.

The repelling fingers of the demon intruded into his shelter, and Levi quickly gripped onto a pile of dust-filled sand; his second plan for survival.

The hole widened till nothing remained of the wall. As the head fixed itself into the hole, Levi instantly flung the pile of sand at the demon.

It was stunned, and tasked with cleaning his eyes. Swiftly, Levi crawled, kicked the demon, and thrust out of the shelter.

"My plan is working," he said, running towards the two pieces of wood that lay dormant on the floor.

He rushed towards them, crouched, and picked them up holding them as though they were twin swords. At a distance from the demon that still cleaned its eyes, Levi uttered the family words,

'Flash Strike!'

A trail of light appeared at Levi's back following him at his tail, as he instantly appeared behind the demon.

His eyes, burning with rage, stared down upon the demon as he quickly attacked the demon, striking its head.

He withdrew, having seen that his attack had no damage on the demon. It stood up, unfazed. The sight alone was immensely discouraging, but Levi still had more in his arsenal.

He leaped backward, simultaneously evading the long-range attack of the demon. He raised his twin sticks in the air in a manner that lightning rods are placed.

His lips vibrated, his head turned to the demon, and his body heated up as he said,

"It's time for plan C"

'Flash Strike'

'Flash Strike'

'Flash Strike'

Continuously, he uttered those words, and loud thuds accompanied it. Every attack he made proved stronger than the previous one, strong enough to faze the demon.

After a few attacks, the demon produced a large groan, echoing in the room but Levi was relentless and brutal. He continued his endless massacre with full might.

Although tiredness shrouded him, he pressed forward in his onslaught. Blood streamed out from its head in its usual hues - a mix of yellow and green

It was when he saw the might of the demon fading, and the sticky substance escaping, that he slowly withdrew his attacks on the demon.

He stepped backward, drained of all energy as his eyes closed. In an instant before his eyelids shut, he sighted the brutal eruption of the demon's essence as it clung to the walls of the room, and disintegrated the demon.

***

He heard flashes of thunder and was continuously pestered by an automated voice. His eyes slowly opened, as a bright flash rushed into them.

Above him, was a rectangular window that projected information. It looked similar to the one that appeared in his room - as though virtually existing.

He slowly stood from the floor, observed his environment, and focused on the window that appeared before him. He squinted with more effort trying to grasp the tiny squabbles of text that was written. Finally, he saw the information projected.

[Demon Killed! Congratulations on successfully destroying a Tier 1-A demon.

Information: A Tier 1-A demon is a special type of demon formed by the merging of exactly 10 Tier 1 demons. If successfully merged, will create a Tier 1-A but if unsuccessful, the multitude of demons involved will be instantly disintegrated.]

"Wait, does that mean that this demon will count as 10?"

As soon as he spoke, a voice echoed accompanied by a relatively smaller window at his side.

[Almost there! 161 demons killed, 39 left!]

He was shocked upon seeing the message, as the digits didn't add up. He stood staring at the window, baffled at what he saw and glad that his goal was about to be reached.

"First, 72, then 59, and this demon. That's 141, but it says 161. That means there were two unsuccessful attempts at merging. That's good news but what causes it?" he questioned himself, as the window got lowered and gradually faded.