The One behind it all

"Dammit!!, dammit!!, Dammit!!" Litira cursed as she dragged herself through the streets. She had just peeled off the skin over her chest and abdomen to get rid of all the areas the poison affected, she was bleeding badly and her wounds were healing very slowly because of the poison. Gustor's veil had been pulled down for some reason, but she didn't want to assume he was dead yet. "Gustor will get rid of the boy, I have to find something to eat, I need to be back at full strength" she muttered as her skin began to pale again

She starting to perceive something very nice, the smell of a healthy human meal, and little children too, she followed the scent, sniffing the air like a dog until she got to a small house that was locked, which meant someone was in, her appetite was almost intoxicating her at this point. She kicked the door immediately as she broke in and met a woman with her two children, a boy and a girl, cuddled in a corner, screaming for their lives, Litira chuckled deviously then shot her tentacles at them, their screams intensified as their lives flashed before their eyes, then suddenly,

'GBAASH!!' A window broke violently as Verner threw himself into the house, Litira's face was filled with horror as she watched him land in room, Verner launched himself towards Litira in an attempt to slice off her neck, she kept dodging every slash of his sword, making him tear down everything in the house as he kept trying to cut her down. "She's pretty fast..." Verner thought "...but not as fast as him", he rushed towards her again, this time a lot faster and finally managed to slash off her right leg, Litira stumbled and fell to the ground, Verner made a move for her neck but a dozen tentacles shot out of her back and wrapped him up before flinging him out of a window.

"DAMN YOU!!!, I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!" she stood up quickly with one leg while being supported by her tentacles, her other leg was slowly growing back, she noticed the family trying to sneak away, "Where do you think you're going?!!!" She used her tentacles to pick all three of them up and dashed out of the house, leaping from one rooftop to another as she desperately tried to get away from Verner, the woman and children screaming on top of their lungs as Litira jumped around, heading for the forests so she can devour them in peace, "Even if this is all I eat for today, I'll know my efforts weren't for nothing!!"

"STOP IT!!!" Verner yelled, she turned around and saw him in hot pursuit just behind her. "DAMMIT!!!, DIE ALREADY!!!" she flung the woman and children that she abducted towards Verner, "NO!!" he dashed and caught all three of them as fast as he could, leaving them on the rooftop before running for Litira again, the family quickly held on to one another and watched their hero run after the devil, this was a day they'd never forget.

Litira panted heavily as she ran as fast as she could, but Verner was just too fast, he threw one of his kunai knives that he had dipped in poison at her and it hit her back, she yelled in pain as she fell to the ground, Verner rushed towards her, slashed off all her tentacles as well as her two arms and legs, leaving her limbless body on the floor, she could release her tentacles because the poison knife had hit her on the back and was burning her up slowly as she laid there helpless, waiting to be beheaded.

"So this is it, this is how I die" she thought to herself, a tear leaking out of her eye as she stared into the night sky, Verner walked slowly towards her then stood over her body, he pointed his blade downwards, ready to drive it into her heart, she closed her eyes and got ready for her final moments...but nothing happened.

She opened one eye first, then the other, Verner was still standing, his blade still held in the same position, but he wasn't doing it, just standing there, staring at her, he seemed to be deciding if he should kill her or not, which felt very odd to her.

"What's the matter?, you don't have the balls?, you've killed Gustor already, what's taking you so long?" Litira asked, looking upset "get over with it already".

Verner still stared at her unfazed, then he held down his sword and took deep breaths, Litira became very confused

"I want to ask you something" Verner said, Litira became frightened

"What is it?" She asked, trying to sound tough

"Malachar, your devil king, where can I find him?" Verner looked her straight in the eye, her eyes widened with shock.

"What?...why?, why would you ever want to meet him?". Verner sheathed his sword to make her feel safe.

"I have a score to settle, it's personal, please tell me everything you know about his location, if you do I'll let you go, I'll tell the guardian society that you escaped" He was lying of course, he wasn't even a member of the guardian society...yet, but Litira was desperate, a look of hope radiated on her face

"Malachar..." she muttered, Verner paid close attention "...you'll never find him here, or anywhere"

Verner looked more focused than ever "What?, why?"

"Because he doesn't..." Litira froze, her eyes opened very wide, her limbs that were slowly healing stopped immediately, her lips started to stutter, Verner became uncomfortable, he stepped away from her as her lips kept of stuttering, her eyes getting wider as if they were about to explode, Verner grabbed his sword getting ready to draw, he didn't like what was going on at all, but unknown to him, Litira's soul had been summoned to another realm.

Litira looked around, she saw herself kneeling down in a shallow sea of blood, the sky was pitch black and there was nothing on the horizon, except a massive mountain of human skulls that stood right in front of her, blood red flames flaring at it's base were the only source of light in this dark dimension she was summoned into, and sitting at the apex of the mountain was him, dressed in his shiny black cloak, his hair and eyes crimson red, the king of devils, Malachar himself.

"So this is how you betray me?, after everything I've done for you...Litira" his deep bass voice sent chills down her spine, she knelt down there, frozen with fear. "My..my...your majesty...it...was"

"Not only did you lose to such a mediocre devil hunter, you chose to soil my name to save your pitiful self, I've never been more ashamed in my seven thousand years of existence"

"Your...your majesty...please...I...I..."

"After all these years you still don't know anything about me, because you should have known that..." he leaned forward, his face became brighter as it entered the light of his red flames, Litira became a lot more horrified "...I don't do second chances".

"My king, please, I beg you!!!" Litira screamed, Verner was dumbfounded, all he saw was Litira shaking and crying out to someone who definitely wasn't there, he still held on to his sword.

"You are of no use to me anymore" Malachar said as he waved two fingers towards her, and at that moment, Verner saw Litira's body get engulfed in red flames, his eyes filled with horror as he recognized them immediately

"My Lord please!!!...I BEG YOU!!!...AAAAHH!!!!" Litira cried out in agony, her body dancing around like a fish thrown into a frying pan as the flames melted her away into nothingness, Verner could only watch. The agonizing show came to an end as the red flames rolled into a fire ball and shrunk till it didn't exist anymore, and neither did Litira.

Verner breathed heavily, very sweaty, from the insane heat of the flames, he had no idea what had just happened, but he couldn't be mistaken about one thing, Malachar was the one behind it all.

"Malachar..." he cursed, his face filled with anger as he clenched his sword, "No matter how hard you try, I'll find you, and I will kill you, even if it's the last thing I do".

( Get more of this book on Meganovel; Verner: the devil hunter )