Death's Echo

As the conflicting voices of the two Arins echoed in Leon's mind, a sinister grin slowly spread across the face of the chained Arin.

It started as a subtle curl of the lips but soon turned into a full-blown maniacal laughter that pierced through the chaotic atmosphere.

The sound of his laughter sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

It was a haunting, deranged sound that seemed to resonate with a deep darkness within him. His eyes glimmered with a twisted delight as he reveled in something unknown.

The crowd recoiled in fear, their expressions a mirror of the dread that gripped them.

Something was terribly wrong, and the presence emanating from the chained Arin grew stronger with each passing moment.

"Hah... how boring. I thought you bunch would be more decisive and have provided a more entertaining spectacle," The deranged Arin taunted, his voice dripping with malice.

'!!!'

Leon didn't need to hear anything else before dashing towards him. He was sure that the real Arin wouldn't act like this.

Breaking his summoned chains into two elongated, razor-sharp spears, Leon lunged at the deranged Arin with ferocious determination.

Throughout the last few days, he learned to stiffen them and use them as nigh unbreakable weapons.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! Oh my god, I just love this part!" The deranged Arin's voice took on a distorted, otherworldly quality, resonating with a chilling power.

However, much to Leon's surprise he didn't even try to remove his shackles nor did he attempt to dodge Leon's attacks.

Leon's spears pierced through the deranged Arin's chest, impaling him with a sickening crunch. The deranged Arin's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a gurgling sound as blood spilled from his mouth.

Leon stepped back, his heart pounding in his chest.

'It can't be that easy,' Leon thought, his eyes fixed on the motionless form of the deranged Arin. The atmosphere remained tense, as if holding its breath, waiting for something more to happen.

As he stared at the body of the deranged Arin, Leon could feel a strange sensation creeping up his spine. A cold shiver ran down his spine and spread throughout his entire body.

Just as everything seemed fine again, a horrifying sight greeted all the onlookers. The Demon's back split open, revealing a nightmarish sight.

Eight twisted and elongated legs sprouted from his back, their dark, chitinous surface glistening with a sickly sheen.

They moved with unnatural grace, twitching and flexing as if awakening from a long slumber. The legs extended outward, connecting to a central point, forming a grotesque spider-like structure.

The crowd gasped in collective horror, their previous relief replaced with renewed fear and disbelief.

The true nature of the darkness that had possessed Arin was now revealing itself in all its grotesque glory.

The monstrous entity towered over Leon, its by now eight legs serving as a nightmarish throne.

At the center of the spider-like structure, a giant heart, torn from its lifeless body, throbbed with a repulsive intensity.

As the crowd watched in terror, the giant heart at the center of the monstrous entity began to pulsate with an otherworldly energy.

Symbols, ancient and unreadable, etched themselves onto the surface of the pulsating organ.

The air seemed to vibrate with a dark presence as the heart emitted an eerie glow. Suddenly, the heart spoke, its voice resonating in a language unknown to human ears.

The words formed by the cryptic symbols were filled with a sinister power that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard them.

The unearthly language seemed to echo with the voices of a thousand tormented souls, a cacophony of agony and despair.

"U̶̦̐ņ̷̉g̶͕̾o̸͚͋ ̵̱͒m̴͕̚ǫ̵̱̿ ̵̻̈́ÿ̸̸͙͚̭͉̬́̔ ̸̨̹̻̙̈́̚ì̵̞̗s̶̝̚͠ ̷͔̣̪̽t̷͖̳͉̋̎h̶̳̬͐͌e̷̛̼͈̕ ̴̤̃͝G̷͍͉̣̔̈́ǒ̴̜̠d̴̰͇̺̾͒ ̵̺͇͋ō̸̧͈̖͝f̶͚̜̮̓ ̸̻͇̖̊Ḑ̴̪̼̾͂ẽ̸͙͕̙̿s̸̮͓̿t̸̯̍̄r̸̺̞̂̒û̶̧̧̙̀c̸̘̮̈́̃ť̶̜͛i̸̖͚̒o̵̧̅̃͜ṇ̷̛̘̖."

The crowd stood frozen, unable to comprehend the sheer malevolence that emanated from the monstrous heart.

The symbols on its surface seemed to writhe and twist, as if alive with their own dark purpose.

Although Leon couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread and despair, a flicker of defiance ignited within him.

Compared to what demon lurked within him, it paled into insignificance.

He was eager to test his enhanced strength anyways.

His elongated spears sliced through the air, aimed at the grotesque spider-like structure formed by the entity's eight twisted legs.

As Leon closed in, the deranged Arin's distorted voice echoed once again, repeating the same cryptic and incomprehensible words.

He focused on the task at hand, channeling his strength into every movement.

With a powerful thrust, Leon drove his spears into one of the entity's elongated legs. The razor-sharp blades cut through the chitinous surface, severing the limb with a sickening crunch.

Dark ichor spewed forth from the wound, but the entity showed no signs of pain or hesitation.

The monstrous entity let out a guttural, otherworldly roar, a mixture of anger and defiance.

It retaliated with a flurry of attacks, using its remaining legs to strike at Leon. The force behind each blow was immense, threatening to decapacitate him.

Leon, undeterred by the entity's retaliatory strikes, swiftly evaded its attacks.

Although Leon's chains relentlessly shot forth from the vicinity, trying to entangle the entity's legs and hinder its movements, they proved ineffective against the creature's slim and long limbs.

"I̶̦͔̐'̷̧̱̉m̷̨̥̾ ̷̼̪͑ḯ̵̜̥̚ǹ̵̥̹̒ ̴̣̀̌p̸̞̂͋a̶̳̔͝ỉ̷̺̮n̸̨̈́̿. ̴̩͗H̵̻͆ě̴̙l̴͇̓p̵̼͋ ̴̻̿͘m̴̜̓e̵̩͆,̷͈̃ ̸͖̍p̵̡̌l̶̳̔e̵̝̍a̷͇͂s̵̘̋ë̶̩́." The Demon let out another eerie cackle, before launching a barrage of sharp blades from its remaining 7 legs.

The projectiles were jagged and curved like scythes, which caught Leon off guard.

Leon's reflexes kicked into overdrive as he deflected and dodged the incoming blades with precision.

Each narrow miss sent a surge of adrenaline through his veins, fueling his determination to bring an end to this abomination.

Leon twisted his body to evade a particularly swift strike from the entity's remaining legs.

In his haste, however, he misjudged the angle and the force of the attack. A searing pain shot through his shoulder, and he felt a sickening pop as his shoulder dislocated.

But the entity wasn't finished yet. It seized the opportunity created by Leon's momentary vulnerability.

The demon's twisted, spider-like legs moved with unnerving speed and precision, slashing through the air toward Leon.

In that critical moment, a figure emerged from behind Leon, swiftly intercepting the entity's attack.

"Arin, great timing as always." Leon commented with excitement.

As Arin stepped forward, his eyes glowed with an intense determination. He summoned his power, and a surge of energy coursed through his body.

With a swift motion of his hand, he conjured a multitude of spears from thin air, each one crackling with arcane energy.

Leon, his shoulder throbbing with pain, took advantage of the distraction.

He swiftly reached for his dislocated shoulder, gritting his teeth against the agony, and with a swift movement, he pushed it back into place.

Just as Leon thought things were going well for them, the Demon let out another ear-splitting roar, echoing throughout the hall.

The entity's remaining legs elongated further, the scythe-like blades on them gleaming with an ominous light.

It lunged at Arin with unmatched ferocity, its movements faster and deadlier than before.

It didn't even acknowledge Leon anymore as it mercilessly attacked Arin. He parried the first few attacks with ease, but the sheer number of the Demon's attacks was proving too much for him to handle.

Leon wanted to intercept, piercing through its heart in hopes that it would weaken or defeat the entity. But the Demon bulldozed in on Arin, flinging him through huts, before finally slamming him to the ground.

It dragged Arin along the cave, letting the sharp rocks on the ground tear through his back whilst rushing away from Leon with unmatched speed.

By now, the crowd already dispersed, hiding inside their respective houses. Only a few brave ones still remained but even they didn't dare to attack in fear that it would switch its target.

As the entity dragged Arin across the cave, its legs elongated further, propelling them both toward the ceiling. Arin's body scraped against the jagged rocks, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.

The entity's intention became clear as it aimed to crush Arin into the ceiling, creating a hole through which it could escape.

Leon's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his friend's life hanging in the balance.

He couldn't let Arin be sacrificed in such a gruesome manner. Ignoring his own pain and fatigue, Leon sprinted forward, determination fueling his every step.

Swinging his chains overhead, he hurled them toward the cave ceiling. Leon climbed up fast but was far from able to catch up with the Demon's blistering speed.

Its movements were too quick and agile, while Leon's leg refused to obey him.

As the Demon reached its destination, Arin's back collided with the unforgiving cave ceiling, eliciting a bone-crushing impact.

The force knocked out Arin cold, leaving him dangling in the Demon's legs.

A Hole formed in the cave, revealing a cave-like system.

Just as Arin's Demon was about to escape through the newly formed hole in the cave, a winged Demon swooped down from above, ramming Arin's demon into the ground with tremendous force.

The impact rippled throughout the cave, forming cracks along the ground and sending debris tumbling down.

"Arin!" Leon roared, sure that no human could survive such an impact.

However, to his luck, none other than Arin's Demon protected him with its legs wrapped tightly around him.

Leon thanked the gods that Arin's Demon wasn't strong enough to be able to afford his host dying.

"Y̶̨̰̕o̶̦͕̊u̸͔̐͘.̴̠̑͆.̷̠̥͠ ̴̪͋̊İ̴̤ ̵̙́͊k̵̻̂̕n̷̖̦̊ö̶̦̋w̸̺͠ ̶̨͑̇y̴͙̍͝ȯ̴͙u̸̙̔̚:̴̥͝ ̸̟̈͌" Arin's Demon screeched in a distorted, otherworldly voice. Its words reverberated through the cave, carrying an unsettling mix of familiarity and menace.

Blood leaked from the Demon's heart, dripping down its twisted form and corroding through the ground.

"DEATH! DEMON...YOU...NO...HUNT!" As the winged Demon's voice echoed through the cave, its words carried a chilling sense of finality.

Leon's eyes widened at the sight of another Demon.

His breath caught in his throat as he recognized the winged Demon before him.

With only one arm remaining and its odd way of communicating, Leon was sure it was the same demon from that crevice.

'Shit!'