"Delicious!"
His muscular body momentarily swelled to more than twice its size, his veins snaked like tangled rivers, and his bones crackled like breaking branches. However, this fleeting transformation quickly faded, leaving his body as it had always been, although his aura was heavier and more imposing.
"This exhilarating sensation of strengthening is sublime! It's a shame it's the last time..."
"Uuuhh..."
Covered in dirt and blood, Ethan lazily stretched as if there was nothing in the world to worry about.
Whooosh, whooosh!
Four imposing black wings, of considerable size and resembling those of a bat, unfolded on his back. They flapped eagerly, generating powerful gusts of wind that unleashed chaos around him.
With his indifferent gaze, he surveyed his surroundings while calmly stroking the fur of the demonic wolf as if it were a pet.
Before him lay a desolate scene, a reflection of the place where he was seated. Grotesque mountains rose with countless demon corpses, while rivers of blood meandered through the barren ground.
The unbearable stench of death and decay swirled in the air, clinging to the skin and filling the lungs.
Chunks of decaying bodies and organs lay silently on the dark, red earth.
A dense crimson mist covered the sky, creating the impression of being alive and breathing, as if it were the embodiment of evil.
This type of scenery was not exclusive to his surroundings but extended throughout the planet. It was common to see almost everything reduced to rubble and dust, as if a supernatural force had mercilessly laid waste to the mountains, forests, and everything in its path.
"How refreshing it is to contemplate the artwork I have created over the years. Those trees, in particular, are my greatest achievement. Ahh... the fruit of so much effort, I suppose," declared Ethan with a smile of happiness, revealing his sharp, white teeth.
In the distance, gigantic twisted and deformed white trees stood tall like monstrous creatures, their branches resembling sharp claws reaching towards the sky.
Upon them lay the skeletons and decaying remains of countless demons, as if death itself had taken hold of the vegetation.
Rrrrrrrrumble!
Suddenly, everything began to shake violently, as if the entire world was on the brink of collapse!
The crimson clouds in the firmament twisted into horrifying whirlwinds, dark and thick lightning snaked through the sky like malevolent dragons. In an instant, everything transformed as if it were the imminent end of the world.
"Roaaaaarrrr!"
From the depths, as if emerging from the very core of the world, a deafening roar of fury resounded, shaking every corner and unleashing gigantic waves of blood that swept away everything in their path.
"Hahaha! So, there's still one more left! And it turns out to be much more powerful than all those pathetic demons who thought themselves invincible!" Ethan laughed loudly as his crimson eyes gleamed with delight.
Craaack!
Hundreds of meters away from him, a fissure opened and rapidly expanded, forming an opening tens of kilometers long with an undetectable depth, as if it were an infinite abyss.
"Amazing, astounding power!"
His body soared majestically into the sky, his demonic wings waving in perfect harmony as everything around him plunged into the depths of the fissure.
Nevertheless, his face reflected immense joy as he carefully observed the creature emerging at a slow pace.
It was a demon of colossal proportions, its macabre and malevolent appearance instilling terror in any living being bold enough to meet its gaze.
Its eyes were two dark and deep pits, devoid of pupils or iris, and its skin was covered in a kind of infernal armor that seemed to glow with an intense red radiance.
Two enormous membranous wings sprouted from its back, and its long body, shaped like an Eastern dragon, was covered in sharp blade-like spikes.
"Well, well... a giant worm? Interesting. I suppose it could be entertaining, considering it appears quite powerful. And who knows, perhaps by absorbing its essence, I can achieve an enhancement that will take me to truly astonishing heights!"
Ethan looked up at the sky with an expectant expression. He was convinced that if he could become a little stronger, he could bid farewell to this desolate world and plunge into an even greater sea of amusement.
"Grrrr!"
The creature's eyes narrowed with anger upon hearing the nonsense uttered by the tiny being that, somehow, had managed to annihilate all the demons of its world!
While harboring no affection for the demons that had perished, it regarded them as its subjects while it slept at the center of the planet, recovering from a wound inflicted thousands of years ago by a monster it did not even want to attempt to remember.
"Roaaaaarrrrr!"
Whooosh!
Its elongated body engulfed in black flames as it lunged without hesitation towards the arrogant and small demon who dared to challenge its authority and disrupt its slumber!
Baam!
"Here it comes, here it comes! The fun finally begins!" Ethan clenched his fist tightly, unleashing a wave of power so intense that it even distorted the space several meters away.
Smash!
As expected, as the two figures collided, the world plunged into chaos, unleashing unprecedented devastation.
Terrifying infernal flames rained down from the sky, transforming the ground into a sea of fire.
These flames took the form of gigantic black dragons, seeking to reduce their enemy to ashes, but with a single movement of a tiny fist, they were all annihilated, leaving only desolation and ashes!
"Stop resorting to cheap tricks with me. Those insignificant flames can't even cause me the slightest warmth," he said with an annoyed tone and a sense of disappointment at not experiencing the intense battle he had anticipated.
"Grraaaw!"
The demon, completely enraged, moved with supernatural agility through the sky, like a fish in water, and within seconds found itself facing the annoying individual who had done nothing but provoke it with his words!
In the next moment, its sinister jaws, like an unfathomable abyss, began to generate a sphere of demonic fire.
Sigh...
"If this is all you've got, let's finish this once and for all," instantly, he made a swift move.
Swoosh!
Booom!
His fist fiercely impacted the demon's face with a deafening thunder, distorting it into a grotesque contortion and halting its attack abruptly. Its face reflected a mixture of disbelief and pain, while the power of the blow resonated in the air.
"Graaaarrrgh!"
That being, once feared by countless creatures, was humiliated and thrown into the air, roaring in pain, crashing violently into the ground and creating a massive crater that bore its shape!
"Perhaps I expected too much from you, given the imposing manner in which you emerged from your hiding? What a true pity, I fervently longed for a final battle," his words resonated in the demon's ears, stirring its mind with indescribable fury.
"Roaaaarrrrr!"
A deafening and terrifying roar echoed from within the crater, reigniting the black flames that embraced the world in an infernal embrace!
"What?! So now that you can't defeat me, you're calling me insane? Ha! I don't need your words to know what you think, your roars say it all! How about I rip your head off to see if that shuts you up!?"
"???"
From the crater, the demon cast a gaze filled with annoyance, confusion, and irritation. It couldn't comprehend what was happening; it only knew that it was facing a completely deranged being.
It wondered where such a creature had emerged from. It had never witnessed any lesser demon reach such a level of power. In theory, that should be completely impossible!
Since the bloodline of demons in this world was considered the weakest, with no possibility of them reaching its level of power.
Upon closer examination, it realized that he was indeed a remarkably peculiar creature, with a form it had never witnessed in its thousand years of existence.
Ethan stood upright in the sky, his dark and unkempt hair waving in the breeze. His long, upward-curving horns reflected the light of the engulfing flames.
The only garment he wore was a dark vest made from the skin of a black-skinned demon, its collar adorned with lion-like mane hair ripped from another unfortunate demon.
A creepy and malevolent smile spread across his face as if he had completely lost his mind long ago.
"...But you're right, even I know that I'm a little crazy. Yet, what is sanity but a self-imposed cage? I have learned to embrace my madness, and it is precisely that which makes me invincible!"
An overwhelming energy began to emanate from him, causing the space around him to distort and fluctuate in violent waves!
"Grrowwll!"
Without wasting a moment, the flames that were consuming the world converged on the body of the demonic dragon, increasing its size and presence to new heights.
In this moment, it seemed like an evil god, the absolute master of fire!
Whooosh! Whooosh!
Its two membranous wings flapped with tremendous force, unleashing a gust of wind and flames that burned everything in its path.
It emerged from the crater, biting its tongue to refrain from responding to the nonsense coming out of the man's mouth. Although capable of speaking, it chose to continue pretending it couldn't, in order to spare itself from hearing more foolishness.
As the dragon ascended into the sky, it concentrated its fiery fury into a central point just above. In a matter of moments, a relentless shower of incandescent meteors was unleashed, mercilessly pummeling the chosen target.
Each meteor traced a path of destruction, illuminating the heavens with its deadly splendor and sowing chaos upon impact!
"Hmm, quite a spectacle, I suppose."
But Ethan remained unperturbed, his countenance impassive like a mask of indifference. There was no trace of fear in his eyes, only a calm determination.
He even allowed the fierce attack of his enemy to rain down upon him without offering resistance, as if he were basking in the warmth of the sun on a serene day.
His relaxed and serene posture exuded unwavering confidence!
Even his clothes only suffered minor burns, indicating that they were made from the most fire-resistant demons.
On the other hand, the demon smiled with satisfaction as flames engulfed the tiny insect, thinking that it had inflicted significant damage upon him. But suddenly, a whisper was heard behind them.
"...How feeble you are," it heard before feeling a strong pressure on one of its wings.
Looking to its side in horror, it saw the man standing next to them, a look of contempt on his face.
"!"
Riiiip!
"Grrowwll!"
It tried to move its wing, but it was too late; the man already had it in his hand. With a swift motion, Ethan mercilessly tore it off, causing it to release a cry of pain and agony!
Blood gushed in torrents from the wound, spraying the sky with dark and viscous liquid. But in the next second, the surrounding flames caused it to evaporate into the air as if it had never existed.
Wooosh!
Quickly, its body began to plummet toward the ground, but before it fell, Ethan hurled the severed wing toward it like a spear, piercing its body and causing blood and entrails to burst forth in all directions.
"Rooaarr!"
The demonic dragon roared with an even greater fury than before, and without hesitation, it focused on gathering all the infernal power it possessed.
Vroom! Zuum!
Its body convulsed as it was enveloped in a dazzling red light. In an instant, it unleashed a terrifying wave of dark energy, distorting space and hurtling it towards its enemy with incredible speed!
The wave of energy forcefully tore through everything in its path, ripping apart the surrounding space.
"Hahaha! That's what I like! Now you're worthy of being the second strongest demon in this world. Of course, I still remain the first!"
Ethan knew that the attack was too powerful, but his laughter echoed everywhere as he gathered all his power into his fist and launched himself towards the wave of energy.
Booom!
In an instant, a massive explosion occurred that shook the entire world!
The energy from both attacks combined and multiplied several times over, causing a shockwave that unexpectedly tore through space, creating a huge hole in the sky that rapidly began to expand.
From within, a wave of unknown energy surged out, disintegrating everything it touched!
"Roooarrrr!"
"I-it's all your fault, you damn lunatic! Gruarrgh!"
With its hundreds of meters long body engulfed in flames, it tried to escape, but it was quickly caught up by the wave of energy, ruthlessly tearing its body apart and killing them within seconds!
Even its black flames, which used to be the embodiment of its power, were easily scattered and extinguished.
"This is exactly what I wanted! Hahaha!" Ethan laughed with a maniacal laughter, and his voice resounded throughout the world.
His eyes reflected the destruction of the world he had been in for over a hundred years, but instead of fear or remorse, he only felt insane satisfaction.
Ethan watched with excitement as the earth cracked, the countless lifeless bodies of the demons he had killed disintegrated. As continents began to fracture and crumble, the ground cracked and sank.
Beams of violet light crackled in the air, followed by deafening sounds that seemed to tear the universe apart.
Finally, everything was ravaged in its path, leaving nothing behind. The chaotic and dark energy twisted and warped the very fabric of space, creating black holes and gravitational distortions in its wake.
Even his body, which had withstood millions of battles without suffering significant damage, was now slowly cracking.
"Haha, at least it was fun, much better than my pathetic former life," he said as he allowed his body to be struck again and again by the wave of energy.
Although he certainly regretted not being able to find more places to have fun in this boundless universe!
Suddenly, his face contorted in a wrenching expression of pain and anger!
"No, these pathetic memories!"
Deep within his eyes, the memories he had tried to seal and forget surged uncontrollably. Ethan desperately tried to contain them, but they burst forth like an unstoppable torrent, breaking through all barriers in their path...