"Look what we have here... trying to hide, human?"
His rough tongue slid slowly over his yellowed fangs. A crooked smile, full of malice, opened as the claws pushed aside the rubble and revealed the fragile body of the man buried in the dirt.
When the boy looked up, he found himself faced with an aberration towering over him.
The veins of the monstrosity pulsed under the pink skin, stretched over the inflated and misshapen body. At the top of its neck, its pig's head hung forward, with fangs visible at the corners of its mouth. From the top of its skull, irregular bony spines sprouted in all directions, forming a grotesque crown.
Around it, the air vibrated with suffocating heat, carried by the thick smell of sulfur and burnt wood. With each breath the beast took, rotten puffs made the environment even more unbreathable, as if hell itself were breathing there.
"No, please…" The words trembled in the man's throat as he held out one of his hands, begging for mercy.
"What? Tears?" The creature tilted its head even further, its voice filled with pure contempt. "Humans are so… fragile."
A hoarse laugh escaped its throat as it brought its snout closer to the survivor's pale face.
"You… this pathetic village," it said, looking around. "None of you really mattered. It's nothing personal, it's just that… orders are orders, right?" It lifted the piece of rubble with cruel slowness. "'No witnesses,' they said.
"I'm sorry, mother…"
With a sharp snap, the arm came down violently. The sound of the impact drowned out any screams.
It slowly stood up, its eyes half-closed in pure delight as it ran its thick tongue over its blood-stained lips, savoring the metallic taste that ran down its face.
He turned slowly and walked to where two other beasts, similar to him, were waiting for him.
One of them, with gray skin, was carrying a kanabo.
The other, with blue skin, was holding a girl slung over his shoulder as if she were an empty sack.
The hostage's blond hair clung to her sweaty face, which shone with pure terror.
"See?" the bloodied creature slid a curved nail across the young woman's throat, who shivered at the icy touch. "All this carnage... was because of you."
He approached her, smiling mockingly.
"Tell me... what's so special that caught the attention of the upper echelons, huh, sweetie?"
She squeezed her blue eyes tightly, as if that could erase the monster in front of her.
"Hey, ugly thing!" a voice echoed through the chaos of the village, cutting through the noise of the flames. "You better let that woman go."
Amidst the dust and debris, a silhouette appeared. The black overcoat swayed in the wind, covered in soot. With the hood thrown forward, part of the face remained in shadow, hiding the expression. Still, her posture was firm — her outstretched arm pointed straight at the beast.
"I won't say it again."
When he raised his face, he revealed himself to be a young man, whose dark blue eyes shone beneath the shadow of his hood, fixed on the beast that held the girl hostage.
The freak who was talking to the girl raised his head and let out a hoarse laugh. With a slow and almost mocking gesture, he placed his hand on his colleague's shoulder.
"My brothers don't speak your human language!"
"Then pass the message to him, in your language, you walking bacon." the stranger replied.
The monster's jaw clenched. His expression that had previously dripped with cruelty disappeared in an instant. His nostrils flared, sniffing the air suspiciously.
"I don't recognize your scent... you weren't in the village when we arrived."
"Well, well... so that wild pig face wasn't just for show after all. You really do have a good sense of smell." He snapped his fingers. "You got me. I'm looking for three little pigs who escaped from hell."
"Now all that remains to be seen is... will it be the easy way?" His voice was calm.
With a quick turn, his hands reached for two scythes strapped to his waist. The blades shone in the flickering light that cut through the hot, thick smoke around them.
"Or the hard way?"
On the backs of his hands, ancient inscriptions began to flicker.
The abomination's lips curled with confidence. It whispered in an ancient language as it pointed its finger toward the mysterious man.
The beast with the kanabo responded immediately, advancing with an eager laugh, running its tongue across its snout.
"It's going to be the hard way then, of course," it assumed.
It tilted its body slightly, its muscles tense like springs, ready to fire.
The creature approached and faced him. It raised its weapon in a brutal arc—and then brought it down with all its strength, shattering the ground.
But the blow went unnoticed, easily dodged.
The beast growled and launched blind attacks, scattering dust with each blow. When the vision cleared, there was no sign of the young man. Panting, it smiled, convinced of its victory.
"So? Did you hit him?" the voice came, unexpected, right at its shoulder. The monster turned its head.
The one he was looking for was there, poised, with a provocative smile.
The abomination advanced to grab him. The stranger dodged it with a jump, spinning in the air, cutting off his opponent's hand with precision. A dull thud echoed as the hand fell to the ground.
"Damn... sorry. Did it hurt?" He scratched his head as he returned to the ground, as if he were truly sorry.
The monster roared in pain, grabbing his weapon with his other hand, and advanced blindly with rage.
The man, upon noticing the attack, remained still, calmly gathering his scythes. He raised his right arm towards the being, challenging it to continue.
The instant the beast launched itself to attack, he stretched out his fingers and pointed them at the ground — as if summoning something — and disappeared at the same moment, seconds before the violent impact shattered the ground with a loud bang.
The monstrosities looked at each other, bewildered.
The pink beast spun in circles, restless, searching for him. Its wild gaze swept the air around it while the bony spikes on its forehead vibrated with fury about to explode.
"How is he doing this...?" it muttered.
Nothing... no scent. He's still around. But where?! its mind roared, chaotic.
Magic? It can only be magic! Damn it! All it had to do was capture the woman and— its thoughts were abruptly interrupted when it saw him appear—like a figure—crouching on the shoulder of its brother, who was still holding the girl.
In a blink of an eye, the stranger pulled her and jumped, disappearing after repeating the same hand signal.
Shit! He's too fast.
"Come out, kid!" he roared, searching through the thick smoke. "We don't have time for games!"
Then, with a cynical laugh, he continued:
"Here's what we'll do. If you show up and return the girl, I can be generous… I'll give you the pleasure of a quick death while she watches. What do you think?" his harsh laugh echoed among the rubble.
A little further away from where they were, among the twisted trees, there was a brief silence — as if the chaos had been left behind for a moment.
The flames were still roaring in the distance.
It was in this shelter of ashes and dust that the boy reappeared, with the young woman in his arms. He placed her on the ground carefully, as if depositing something too precious to break.
"I'm sorry, but I need you to stay here for a while. I would leave you further away, but it's not safe" he explained, keeping his attention on the forest surrounding the village.
"I promise I'll be back soon" the words stuck in his mouth as he turned his attention to the girl, finally noticing her features.
He froze, his breath caught. He observed each of her features with a mixture of disbelief and reverence, as if he recognized every curve of that face.
With a slow gesture, he pulled back the hood to get a better look. The light then revealed a deep scar that cut across both sides of her neck, previously hidden by the fabric.
In response, she instinctively stepped back, overcome by fear.
Before she could say anything, a whistle cut through the air. He took her in his arms again and jumped to the side, narrowly dodging a huge rock that was thrown towards them both.
The creature with the crown growled and, without hesitation, punched the blue beast that had thrown the stone in the jaw, making him stagger to the side, spitting blood and chipped teeth.
He growled something in his grotesque tongue, like a harsh warning.
"Demons..." he growled through his teeth, then turned to the girl, still trembling, but conscious.
Carefully, he knelt down, supporting one knee on the ground. He lowered himself a little more, until he was face to face with her.
"Don't leave here." he added in a firm but gentle tone. "I'll be back in a moment."
He slowly laid her down on the ground, making sure she was sheltered by one of the exposed roots of the tree.
Without hesitation, he stood up at once. His coat billowed as he put the hood back on, turning towards the group of monstrosities ahead.
She just followed his movements, unable to say a single word. She held a small bible tightly against her chest, as if that were the only thing capable of keeping her steady at that moment.
Who is he? What was that place he took me to… she thought, watching as he calmly pulled out a pocket watch, carefully analyzing each hand.
"Excuse me, boy. Do you have any plans?" the being teased disdainfully, walking towards him.
"I'm just seeing how much time is left." he answered with a serious expression, refocusing as he put the watch away.
With an almost provocative calm, he took back his weapon, turning his shoulders forward and then backward, as if preparing for a good fight.
Upon noticing the change in the hunter's posture, the creature stopped walking and stood still, staring at him intently.
The severed abomination let out a guttural scream, staggering forward while gripping the handle of the staff tightly.
But before he could advance, his brother grabbed him by the neck, pulling him brutally.
He stared at him with wild eyes and growled in his language, but this time it was clear what he was saying:
"Think before you act, you idiot."
Upon noticing the opening, the man brought his right hand back and, in a single impulse, threw the scythe with precision at the blue beast further back.
However, the abomination jumped to the side, narrowly escaping the swift attack. Behind it, the tool was embedded in the trunk of a tree, still vibrating from the impact.
Harsh, mocking laughter echoed around him, full of derision.
He, however, remained silent.
Discreetly, he began to take small steps to the left, dragging along the ashes on the ground, until he positioned himself in a specific alignment between himself and the blade he had thrown.
Among them was his target, who was still laughing uncontrollably, not noticing the repositioning.
He pointed the handle of the scythe in his hands towards another one stuck in the tree.
A black chain formed in the air, connecting the cables.
Crack.
It pierced the creature's heart, making it fall to its knees with a deafening roar.
In a desperate gesture, he tried to grab the chain, pulling it with his hands. But the chain twisted like something alive, tangling in his skin, tearing flesh and muscle as it immobilized him more and more.
Until it finally gave way, his body colliding with the ground in a brutal crash.
"One down" he muttered.
"You bastard..." the pink beast growled, his teeth clenched and his hands shaking with fury.
In a rush, the gray monster passed by his brother with a brutal roar, raising the kanabo above his head, ready to crush him.
The boy then pulled the chain hard. — The blade cut through the air like thunder, splitting the monster in half with a crack.
"No... What have you done? Who are you, you damned thing!?" the demon screamed, taking off the crown and letting it fall.
"You demons think you can play with humans as you please" he replied, bringing the scythes back as the chains disappeared in a spectral glow "I'm just someone putting you in your place."
"You killed my brothers…" he fell to his knees, crushing the crown under his weight, growling like a predator on the verge of attack.
His features became savage as his body expanded, muscles swelling in an irrational frenzy. His bloodstained teeth showed. An animalistic growl escaped his throat. Without rationality, she roared, given over to ferocity.
Her opponent, however, remained motionless, watching in silence.
As soon as the monster advanced, he jumped in response. The creature tried to grab him in midair, but was too slow.
On the way down, he cut the beast's back with a precise movement, tearing flesh and tendons. The scream of pain echoed through the village as the monster fell to its knees with its hands on the ground.
Without hesitation, upon landing, he slid beneath his opponent. Now tearing his chest and belly, spreading his blood across the ground.
The giant got up, stumbling and staggering backwards, his limbs trembling as he placed his hand over the open wound. Even so, he did not fall. Panting and exhausted, he fought against his own ruin, refusing imminent death.
The boy sighed, pulling out the small watch again. He opened it calmly, watching the hands about to complete a revolution.
"Just in time..." he murmured, closing the watch with a metallic click.
He raised his chin, firmly, facing him.
From afar, the girl watched, her hand covering her mouth and shock written on her face.
"Your time has come to an end!" he stated, already positioning his blades, ready for the next attack.
"Tenth step to death: Absolute darkness."
His voice barely rose above a whisper, and in an instant, total darkness swallowed up the vision of his opponent, who roared, lost, spinning in despair and sniffing the air like a cornered animal.
It can't be him! There's no way it could be! thought the demon.
But the hunter was no longer where he should be, he disappeared into the darkness.
A moment later, he appeared behind the monster in the darkness, scythes raised.
And when the light returned… only death remained.