Chapter 37: Choice

The shadows attack wasn't completely nullified. There were still many that has escape because he can't reach them in time.

"I know you can control me by touching my shadow, but how can I let you do that again? You seems to be still underestimating me by just sending me these little ones."

Juan suddenly started running, the torch in his hand started dancing around him as the humanoid shaped and form shadows stood up and charged towards him.

They move so fast that they only left a blur in Juan's eyes. With his unexercised physique, he surely won't be able to keep this up.

However doing so, he will have to risk his torch of going out.

So he moved besides those houses that were burning  around. Using them instead of his torch in hand.

In the end, he made the right decision as the shadows around him was indeed frightened by the sheer brightness and heat the purple blaze exuded.

"A safe place...but I can't stop sweating. Still, I had to keep my shadow from their reach or I'll be doom instead." 

Ripping another piece of his clothes, Juan wrapped it on the torch for the fire to grow brighter and last longer.

Suddenly, the shadow monster moved and melted like water. In the next moment like straight line, instantly appearing before him while still in it's place.

Juan's pupil was constricted in shock and surprised. 

"So fast!" 

Fwoosh~! 

Without thinking, he waved his torch in front of him immediately. 

This caused the shadow to dodge and immediately transform into a four-legged creature as it stepped back some distance away.

Its eyes seem to show both contempt and playfulness. It seems to have forgotten the anger it shows a while ago.

"As expected, they hide more things to surprise their prey. Truly a cunning monster, aren't you?" 

Looking at the monster never leaving his eyes, Juan remained calm despite the aching pain in his arms. 

Just now, in order to move immediately, he injured his arms again. Presumably, his muscles must have been strained greatly.

This made him groan in pain as anger continued to burn in his heart. Hate, hate, hate. He never felt so much hate for anything like this his whole life.

"Your so fast, I can't do anything to you. But in this place, it seems you can't directly appear before me too? Could it be because I'm in the range of fire?"

As the owner of this land, it's normal to think that this monster could appear before him at any time. 

But it didn't; instead, it started to attack him, wanting to reach him from afar instead. As if realizing something, Juan raised the purplish red javelin blade in his hand.

While doing so, he noticed how the shadows reacted and took a step back, seeing this. 

"Hahahaha, as expected. You feared me! No! It's the weapon in my hand that you feared. That's why no matter how fast you are, you weren't confident enough." 

"My torch keeps you from appearing directly. Now my weapon keeps you worried and afraid. What a timid cat! It looks like your intelligence has awakened your cowardice!" 

Fwoosh! 

It seems the monster could indeed understand what Juan has been saying this time. It's red eyes actually got angry after being taunted as timid and a coward.

It immediately turned into a streak of shadow along with its minion and dashed recklessly straight to Juan.

"Not so fast!" 

It looks like he taunted too hard, and this shadow monster doesn't care about the fire anymore.

However, Juan wasn't as naive as to believe that. Their distance was just a short few meters. How could the monster really risk its life? 

Juan waved the torch and let the flame blaze in the air, wanting to keep it away. However, Juan's face immediately changed.

The shadow monster suddenly turned into a line and zigzagged its way above his head.

Thereby bypassing the blaze in the air while sacrificing its other minion shadows to the blaze to buy time and attention.

"See! How could I fall for that?!" 

Juan's nervous eyes never left that monster's two unique red circle eyes at all. 

However, his body can't keep up with his thoughts, so even if he knew and saw, he can't do anything.

The shadow monster flashed straight down his slightly dark face.

It's form is still that of a cat, but its lower body remains that of a line connected outside, forming a zigzag.

In the next moment, Juan's eyes and the monster's eyes met. Time seems to slow down. 

To the monster's disdainful eyes, Juan could somehow feel the meaning it conveyed.

Too slow; I'm done playing with you. 

Such contempt! It was as though it were merely playing with a doll; it could crush any moment, but somehow let it dance a few more steps because it was amusing. 

When the performance was done, it was satisfied. That was also the time when the doll's time ended. 

No matter how beautiful and artistic the performance, it only needed to last one time and not more. Only in this way can it be remembered.

However, Juan, who should have a fearful face at this moment, was actually showing a crazy expression that couldn't be more ugly than a clown's saddened face.

That is because he was in flying backwards in mid-air!

Unexpectedly, when he was swinging the torch back then. He had already made a crazy plan!

'I already know when you made a move from over hundreds of meters away. That's too far yet all it took is a blink to crossed over before me.'

'At that time, I already know I was no match for you. Even with a weapon in hand, if I can't catch you. Then everything I've prepared is useless.'

'Hehe, haven't I told you already? Let everything burn! Including you and me. Let's die together, shall we? '

Bang!

Time resumed to normal.

The monster shadow doved down and entered Juan's shadow, and in his shadow manifested a pair of red circle eyes. 

It wanted to immediately control Juan via his shadow, but it was too late.

Both Juan and his shadow were plunged deep into the wreckage of the burning purple house.

"!!!" 

Juan's mind was immediately pounded by an experience he hasn't felt before. A painful and traumatic torture of being burn aflame.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!"

At the same time, the shadow monster seeing this result also turning berserk. Turning into countless wriggling vicious tentacles stretching out to leave!

It tried to control Juan's body but failed.

The reason is that Juan's body was in so much pain. It was too stimulating for the slowly weakening shadow to even make Juan stand up.

Being burned in the embrace of blazing heat, the shadow could only mourn and lose control as it gradually became weaker and weaker.

Juan, with the shadow monster below him, trashed around while feeling the burning pain.

Even if Juan wanted to get up and leave, with the shadow monster below him going berserk and controlling him from time to time,. 

All he could do was struggle and watch as his body gradually experienced being pierced by burning debris and got baked into bread from the inside out.

"K-kill m-me.....im-mediately!"

It was a question about who Juan wanted to hear his words. Unfortunately, no one could give him such an answer in this purgatory.

...

Wake...

Wake..up...

"Wake up! Wake up!" 

Suddenly, a middle-aged man opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by the dim environment. 

There was no light, but it wasn't that dark for him to see anything. 

At this moment, he saw a hole above the roof. And he could feel himself lying on the hard and cold ground. 

Aside from that, there was another man before him. 

"Bal? Why are you here?" 

Feeling groggy, the middle-aged man sat up with the help of the man called Bal, who woke him up.

"Don't talk too much. I'll answer all your questions after we survive this ordeal. For now, just stay silent and follow me." 

Bal stood up after seeing that the man could move on his own normally.

Although the man was confused, he still realized that they were in a serious situation this time upon hearing what Bal said.

'Bal is a veteran hunter, almost as strong and well respected as Weiss, only under the Village Chief in strength and status in the village.'

'For him to say that with serious grim expression, he must not be joking. I'll follow him first and then asked when were safe.'

That's why the man recognized Bal, because he was well known.

The two moved around the house silently. Soon, they stood before the door leading outside. 

Bal motioned for the man to remain quiet and still as he leaned his ears for a while and listened outside.

Hearing nothing unusual outside, Bal looked at the man silently, and then he nodded. The man understood what would happen next and also nodded in agreement.

Bal opened the door slightly before looking outside. Seeing nothing unusual, Bal motioned for the man to follow him silently.