Episode 5 - Sinner of Akedox

Two huge hands made of radiant light emerged from the sides and grasped the spinning demon in a vise-like grip. 

The demon found herself ensnared by these massive hands, which were much larger than the hands of a regular human. 

Her arms were trapped within the grasp, rendering her completely unable to move. 

Suspended in the air, her feet dangled helplessly as she desperately struggled to break free.

The old man's concentration intensified as he compressed his hands, controlling the radiant appendages that held the demon.

"Yaer! Let go of me you Lesser Agnean Spirit!", the demon snarled.

The immense hands squeezed the spinning demon relentlessly, and with a final exclamation, the old man declared, 

"Begone, demon!"

The immense hands of light continued to exert relentless pressure on the spinning demon, causing her agonized screams to fill the air. 

"GYAAAEER!". 

Blood gushed from the demon's mouth as the radiant hands squeezed down even harder, intensifying her suffering.

Time takes a toll, the demon's shrieks gradually subsided, and the hands of light slowly released their grip and disappeared like dust particles.

The once formidable demon now lay on the ground, unconscious and defeated.

The old man, panting from exhaustion. He then stood straight and turned his gaze towards Jiexin.

"The Hands of Kei!" 

Two huge hands of radiant energy materialized, one on each side of Jiexin, mirroring the same technique he used to defeat the demon.

Then, with a sudden and merciless force, the huge hands made of light closed in on Jiexin, crushing him and leaving him in excruciating pain.

"ugh"

His voice was trapped within him, unable to release a scream, and couldn't even utter a single sound, as his body felt like it was being compressed to the brink of collapse.

The agony became unbearable, and Jiexin began to lose consciousness. His vision darkened and blurred, a sign that he could endure no more. 

He realized he was facing death, and a chilling thought crossed his fading mind.

'Am I going to die like this?'

The old man, seemingly without remorse, continued to exert even more pressure. Jiexin's eyes bulged, and blood trickled from his mouth and nose. 

In a final, merciless push, the old man squeezed with all his strength.

"ga-ah"

Jiexin succumbed to the overwhelming pain, his consciousness slipping away into the abyss of eternal sleep.

======

Jiexin woke up with pain all over his body, blood leaking from his mouth, and noticed his hands and clothes stained with blood. 

The distant sounds of screams and explosions filled the air. He struggled to move, his body protesting every effort.

His vision slowly cleared, from the distance, he saw the old man lying on his chest, unconscious and gravely wounded. 

Jiexin immediately rushed to the old man's side.

"Gramps!"

He turned the old man over and he was met with a gruesome sight—a deep, claw-like wound that oozed blood profusely. 

Panic welled up within him. 

"No", He checked for a pulse, but it was too late. The old man had died.

Jiexin looked around, the street was littered with lifeless bodies, a haunting testament to the tragic events that had unfolded. 

His eyes fell upon the demon that the old man had valiantly battled earlier, and it appeared lifeless as well. 

However, something caught his attention—the demon's enormous claws.

Drawing closer, he examined the deep wound on the old man's chest. It became apparent that the demon hadn't been defeated entirely. 

The battle had continued while Jiexin lay unconscious, and it seemed that the demon had inflicted a deep wound on the old man during that time. 

The old man had fought fiercely until the end, and his sacrifice had ultimately vanquished the demon.

"Help us! Someone help us!", he heard a desperate cry. 

Without hesitation, Jiexin moved and rushed towards to help.

The pain that coursed through his body seemed to fade into the background. His determination to assist those in need overshadowed the agony he felt.

He arrived at the scene to find a terrified woman clutching her crying child, desperately trying to escape from a pursuing monster. 

The creature had deformed wings on its back, but it was chasing them on foot with malevolent intent.

Thinking quickly, Jiexin scanned the area to find something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing in sight except for the lifeless bodies scattered around. 

His attention then focused on the body of a dead man in a baseball uniform and a wooden bat lying beside it.

Jiexin sprinted towards and grabbed the wooden bat. 

"Over here!"

His voice rang out to attract the woman's attention. She spotted him and continued running in his direction, the relentless monster closing in fast.

With the bat in hand, Jiexin wasted no time. The menacing creature was almost upon the woman with its horrible hand outstretched.

But before it could grab her,  Jiexin sprinted in front of her and swung the bat with all his might, a primal yell escaping his lips.

"AHHHHHH!"

Jiexin's adrenaline-fueled swing had a powerful impact as the bat hit the monster's face.

With a sickening thud, the creature was sent hurtling several meters away, momentarily incapacitated by the forceful blow, and the bat broke from the impact.

The force of the blow left Su Jiexin gasping for breath, his chest radiating with unbearable pain. He clutched his injured ribs, gritting his teeth to endure the agony that threatened to overwhelm him.

Jiexin turned his attention to the woman who was crouched on the ground, cradling her terrified child. 

"Are you okay?", he asked with concern, and he immediately recognized the woman. 

Recognition dawned in her eyes as she looked up, realizing that he was the same person who saved her child earlier at the bus stop. 

With a nod, she acknowledged his presence, but the terror and desperation in her gaze remained.

Meanwhile, the fallen monster began to move again 

"Aegh". 

It stood up slowly, its voice quivering as it pleaded with pain in its voice.

"Run . . . run away, hurry."

Tears flowed from its remaining human eye, mingling with the grotesque deformities that marred its face. 

On the left side of its forehead, a single horn protruded, his left eye made of black with a small crimson pupil. His other side remained human, his eyes flowing with endless tears.

"Honey!" The woman cried, tears streaming down her face, cried out.

The child wriggled away from his mother but was quickly pulled back into the safety of his mother's embrace. 

"Papa! Papa!" the child cried, recognizing the monstrous figure as his father, reaching out to him.

"Run away . . . quick." 

His voice, coarse and filled with torment, urged them to escape.

Jiexin watched the heartbreaking scene unfold, realizing that the demon was a loved one of the two.

Just like Rifena, the father had taken form a monstrous transformation. Both bore dreadful horns on their forehead and skin so red.

Jiexin's heart ached as he grappled with the harsh reality of their circumstances.

"AHHHH!"

The child's father let out an agonized scream, and the last remnants of his humanity vanished completely. 

His face contorted into a grotesque visage, fully transforming into a demon. A horn sprouted from his right forehead, and his left eye was now covered with black. His teeth turned sharp.

The demon, now in control of the man's body, laughed maniacally. 

"Hahaha! Finally!" It expressed annoyance. "This body was too resistant. His heart was not easy to take over." 

Its gaze shifted to the woman and her child, a sinister gleam in its eyes. 

"The love for his woman and his child was truly fascinating. It enhanced his soul's struggle against me."

"I want Papa!" the child cried out, struggling in his mother's arms as she desperately tried to hold him back.

"It's because of you two that I had trouble taking over his body," the demon remarked, its massive grotesque wings expanding, covering them under its shadow. 

"You gotta pay for my struggles"

The demon ascended into the air, flapping its wings and leaving a gust of wind.

"I am a Sinner of Akedox, an Arch Demon of the Abyss"

Before any of them could react, a  gale swept through, and the demon appeared in front of them in an instant.

"Did you ask for your papa, little human?"

The demon smiled eerily, and without further ado, the demon struck with its hands, sharp nails something to the mother and her child.

"Here's your Papa!"