The Dark Palace was Huge. It was built more like a maze than an actual castle. The seemingly roofless corridors were spreading in every direction and anyone would be confused as to where to go. However, I wasn't alone. Seems like the demons inside have awakened and I had to fight them all. They were quite strong, which impressed me. A Few of them even survived a blast from The Blaster of Hellfire and even tried to counterattack me. I was impressed, indeed, but far from Defenseless. Everyone who tried to stab me ended up slashed to pieces by Kyuushi. The Legendary Katana screamed with Joy. The Souls trapped within were always craving blood, no matter if it was clean or tainted.
Soon I got the information from a dying demon about the whereabouts of the Black Throne Hall – The Residence where The Demon king slept for 3 million years.
I walked towards it while slashing and burning the Demons around me. It took quite a bit of time as they became more and more annoying the closer I got to the accursed Hall. I reached it soon enough. A Huge, dark gate appeared in front of me. I summoned The Hammer of Fruidville, smashed the Gate to Pieces, and entered the Demon King's Domicile.
The Hall was Huge, seemingly roofless, and almost empty. The only thing you would notice was a Black Throne at the Center of it on which the Long awaited Being Rested. As I got closer and closer to it, He looked more and more like a Humanoid being: IT had two Legs, two arms, one head, and a normal body; except for the fact that it was probably 50 meters tall and it had a Pitch black Skin. Its shoulders were covered with long, White hair, and had a full beard and a mustache. It has his eyes closed.
I couldn't stand him being in a calm slumber so I pulled the Wind Talked from The Pocket space and sent a Divine Arrow Flying towards him with the speed of a Bullet. Surprisingly, some kind of Dark Barrier deflected the shining Bolt of lightning and it went flying directly towards me. That was interesting. If The Demon King managed to block a shot from the Wind Talker, it would most likely be an entertaining Fight.
I caught the arrow that I could see in slow motion and sent it back toward the barrier with a Gentle swing. It flew even faster than before but I still couldn't manage to pierce it. The Deflected arrow flew towards a corner of the hall and made a huge Noise and a cloud of black dust.
Seems like the Demon king didn't want anyone to disturb his long slumber, but what choice did he have? Harold Himself paid him a visit which meant an inevitable Death.
"I'm sick of these games, Demon King. Arise and Fight me like a king should."
The being didn't even flinch.
"Are you the Demon King that I've heard so much about? You are feared among your slaves and yet you cannot face me? Such a coward."
He didn't deem me worthy of any response once again, so I pulled the Familiar Hammer again, which was forged by The Dwarves of Fruidville – The Wisest and the most powerful Half-men in my empire. It could break any obstacle it would come across with Ease. The Emerald on top of it was the size of my fist and it was the Dwarves' Treasure – The Eye of Drogomir. It was a sign of respect and Loyalty towards me and I always used the weapon with Honor. The Hammer itself was made from the core of a dwarf star and was very durable. It was a powerful weapon and a useful tool.
I swung the Heavy weapon with ease and hit the barrier. The Impact made an unbearable noise and sent shockwaves in every direction. The Cursed barrier was still standing.
"No matter how sturdy this Barrier may be, Demon! You cannot hide from me! I will get to you and Kill you with my own two hands!"
And I struck the hammer again. And Again. And Again... After around 20 Swings the barrier fell and I walked towards the Black throne. The Hammer Vanished in my hands as I walked up the stairs that led me directly to the Dark Being. Then I levitated to see its face from up close. Its eyes were still closed.
"Arise you filthy son of a whore!" I snapped and punched it in the face.
Suddenly, an entire palace started shaking. I looked around to see what was going on with my eyes scanning the surrounding area. The Sleeping and Awake Giant demons all suddenly collapsed and fell with a huge roar and died. I looked around and saw two Pitch Black Eyeballs staring at me. The Demon King was awake.
"Harold..." He spoke. His Voice was deep, willed with venom and Hate. "I have been waiting for you..."
He suddenly stood up. He was likely 100-150 meters tall.
"How did you know I was coming, you Filth?"
"The Beings that you have slain... I control them. I can see what they see, I can hear what they hear and I feel what they feel. You made them suffer, Harold. I could feel every ounce of pain that you have caused to my Childr..."
"I couldn't care less, Demon. You also just told me that if I will kill you your kind is done. You shall not multiply anymore. I have nothing to talk to you about except for one question: Would you like to die quickly or slowly?"
"You have other questions that need to be answered, is it not correct?"
"Do not get inside my brain you piece of dirt!"
The Wind Talked Barked once and the Thunder roared, but the Demon king easily dodged it and smiled. I was impressed.
"Mind If I will introduce myself, Harold?" He spoke with a disgusting smile on his face.
"It will be better if you will not. You shall be a corpse soon enough. Why does a dead piece of meat need a name?"
"You surely are Harsh. I have been waiting for your return for millions of years. Can you not handle a simple formality?"
"Do what you wish..."
He sat on the throne once again and released a long sigh.
"My name is Tanoth, the Black. I was but a human once, until I became corrupted by these beings. I have ascended to the Black Throne after a long war as the Demon King. No one resisted me or my army before until you appeared 8 million years ago. It was another peaceful century. I didn't think anything would happen and I slept without any fear until you started slaughtering my Children. You are an astonishing warrior, indeed. I thought I would have to fight you on my own sooner or later but then you just disappeared along with the Dark Aether in the air. We left the planet and left a trace of the dark energy hoping that you would come back one day and you have."
"You have left the trail? Was this supposed to be a trap? This is so pathetic. I do not even know why I listen to you..."
"No, this is not a trap. To the likes of you, the traps do not exist. You can simply break them. I know why you are here. You are looking for that little girl's soul."
"Do you know where she is? Give me her soul and I will leave you unharmed." I suddenly lost my composure. It was a moment of weakness.
"Surely, I will, but not without a cost."
"What do you want?"
"A Fight. A Battle of The Gods between you and me. The winner will keep her soul. The Loser will die."
"What evidence do I have that You know the whereabouts of the girl's soul?"
He cut a tear in the fabric of reality and pulled something out of it. It was a Grey thing, half transparent. Tanoth kneeled and put it down. It was Katie. Her eyes were closed and trembled with fear or cold. My Emotions flooded my mind and I fell on my knees. I tried to touch her but My hands passed through her. She didn't wake up even though I screamed at her.
"Will she be harmed in this form?" I asked Tanoth and Stood up.
"No, not in this form. She's still just an avatar of her soul, just to show you that I own her."
"Very well."
I flew up with the Lightning speed and Punched him in the Jaw. The Shockwaves shook an entire planet and sent him flying in the sky. I summoned my Angel's wings and chased him in the air. I punched and Punched and Punched with no end. The Land Below Started crumbling by the force I unleashed. I could see the survivors below trying to survive while a huge chasm appeared nearby. I made a barrier around them while being in mid-air to keep all of them safe, but Tanoth regained balance, Summoned his Black wings, and Returned a powerful punch that made me fly into the air and smash into a mountain.
"This is exciting!" I screamed and flew towards him again.
I hit him with the Hammer which sent him flying towards the Ground with an amazing speed. A huge crack has appeared as he made an impact with the surface but he stood up like nothing happened. I could see an evil smile on his face and it excited me even further. He started blasting me with dark energy spheres but I dodged them all. After Accumulating a huge speed I launched myself towards Tanoth and Hit him with a force so powerful that the Planet suddenly split in half and exploded. His Neck Broke as well, but he just fixed it with his bare hands and it regenerated.
"Fascinating!" I whispered. "He is as powerful as a planet itself.
He flew up and swung a giant black sword which sent a huge shockwave of the dark energy but I dodged it and Summoned Kyuushi. Our swords met and sparks flew everywhere. The Impact destroyed planets and Moons nearby but we didn't stop. We clashed like bloodthirsty beasts. The Cursed Blade was celebrating, his Black sword couldn't penetrate my defense. We fought with everything we had. I still didn't summon the God Slayer sword because this fight was enjoyable and I didn't want to end it too quickly.
We started flying in an endless void, clashing with each other with wicked smiles on our faces, screaming like Lions. Every hit that we landed on each other destroyed the nearby Planets while we took no damage whatsoever. Every time I slashed his wicked flesh, he regenerated. Every time he swung his giant Claymore I either blocked it or deflected it. I was faster. He soon realized that the difference between our strengths was too vast. He clenched his fist and his body started emanating purple light. I decided to halt for a moment to see what he was up to. He summoned the bodies of the dead demons and started absorbing their flesh and blood. He grew in size and His eyes started glowing. I could feel the pressure from his side. He was becoming stronger and it excited me. After a while He summoned a sword made of Dark flesh and looked at me, smiling like an insane man.
"Come at me!" I screamed as I started Laughing as I summoned the Skyfall – A Holy Claymore personally gifted to me by Michael. He Forged it himself in the Golden City so it was an honor to wield it, along with The Dragonscale – A shield made out of a Mythical Dragon – Cavusdyt, the dark one's skin. I made it with my own hands After I had slain the wicked being. It took me seven days and seven nights to finally pierce its skin with Crimson Devourer and it became my Loyal Companion. With these two strong weapons, I flew towards him. He swung the dark Blade which sent a destructive wave of energy. I blocked it with my shield but whatever got in its way immediately turned into ashes, be it a planet, star, or moon. By a strong swing of the Skyfall, I Cut Tanoth's head clean off, but its body didn't stop for a second. The Dark Blade met my claymore and forced my body to fly backward. The Demon king's head regenerated in a few seconds. He didn't have a scratch. The excitement within my body was growing and growing. My insatiable thirst for blood awakened once again and I was itching to fight more and more. At the moment I didn't care about Katie or my empire, nor about the Living people who have been slain during our devastating fight. I could only see my opponent in front of me and I knew that he felt the same. I could see it in his dark, wicked eyes.
Our fight Lasted two Centuries. I could feel no exhaustion, nor could I feel the flow of time. I was fighting and fighting endlessly day and night, and for some time I even forgot who I was. I lost all my senses and turned into a mindless beast. When his dark blade cut my chest in the end, I felt something that I hadn't felt in a thousand years – Pain. It was more enjoyable to me than I expected. My weapons were ineffective and he could regenerate any injury. When I regained myself After the cut in my chest, I looked at Tanoth. He decided to halt and looked at me.
"What is it, Harold? Do you give up?" His voice was as deep and Disgusting as Ever.
"I would never give up. Seems like you pushed me to the edge, Monster."
"To the Edge? So you do give up."
"No. Now I am ready to kill you, Tanoth, the Black."
I pulled the Crimson Devourer from the pocket space and started Transforming. I summoned the blood of the living beings from an entire universe to strengthen me. I could feel the pain I caused to all the poor souls But I could not care less. All of this brought me pleasure and Joy. My thirst for blood was at its peak. It has been a Millennia ever since the last time I transformed into My Demon form and it felt so good to finally let loose.
The Blood came and My would healed. The Crimson Devourer was glowing and the eyeball on it was opened. I could feel the anger in it. It was craving blood.
I could feel how my skin became pale, and my long, blonde hair turned black. My Body was craving blood and Flesh. I could feel it within me.
Tanoth Was looking at me with a Smile.
"Is this your full power, Harold?" He screamed. His voice shook the space-time.
I didn't say anything. The Sword couldn't wait any longer and so couldn't I. The Blood I absorbed turned into a solid matter as I swung the Crimson longsword and I launched it towards the Dark Lord. He tried to block it with the Dark Sword but he failed. The Blood of the innocent beings cut him in half, but it wasn't enough. He regenerated soon and summoned a fleshy spear. He threw it in my direction and it hit me in my heart, but I just pulled it out like nothing and tossed it in the endless void. The Hole in my chest closed in an instant.
Tanoth chose to launch himself towards me, screaming like an eagle, his Dark claws on standby. Two swings shook the universe. His claws cut me deep in my stomach, while the Crimson Devourer Pierced his Dark Heart. It started devouring his heart first, while I started biting and eating his flesh. The Demon King was terrified. He was looking at me with fear in his eyes.
"Stop! I will give you The Girl back! Stop this madness you Monster!" He screamed in panic.
I didn't stop. The Joy I was feeling was astonishing. His Corrupted flesh was delicious and the power that flowed into my veins shook my entire body. His dark energy was resonating in my soul and I was smiling.
"didn't you hear, Harold? I will give you back The Girl! I surrender! I give up!"
He started screaming until I bit his throat out. His body couldn't regenerate as the Crimson Sword devoured his every cell quicker than he could heal himself. He was silent, I could feel terror in his eyes. I could only feel joy and Nothing else, but soon the Crimson Devourer stopped. Its Endless Stomach was full. My Demon Transformation became controllable and I regained my senses. The only thing left from the Dark lord was his Half-eaten Head, but he was alive.
"No!" I screamed. "Katie! How do I bring her back?"
He slowly started regenerating again. I also gave him back a portion of the dark energy that I absorbed from him. Soon his body healed, but he didn't even try to fight me again. He was terrified. He was on the brink of death.
"Bring her soul back. Give her to me." I told him and shook his head.
He soon regained his consciousness and looked at me. He realized what I was asking and Used his claw to Rip a hole between Dimensions. He dragged a Human figure that emitted blue light from its body. It was Katie. She looked young and Happy. When she saw me, she screamed.
"Katie, it is me! Harold! I've come to take you away. We're going back home, Little Kitty!"
"What... What happened to your body? Harold... What have you done?"
"I did what I had to."
"What did it cost?"
"I do not care about the cost. I have you again."
I couldn't touch her again which brought me sadness, but I gathered my spiritual energy to form a yellow barrier around her so I could take her with me. I turned to Tanoth.
"You were a worthy Opponent, Tanoth, The Black. I will never remember you until the stars go out and the universe turns black. You brought me Joy that I have long forgotten. Thank You."
He knew that death was coming, but he wasn't terrified this time. He accepted it. Seems like being eaten alive wasn't the kind of death that he wanted. I pulled the God Slayer Sword from the Pocket Space and Pierced his Heart once again. I could see a smile on his face once again, but it wasn't as wicked and Venomous as before. It felt like he was thanking me for a fitting death that I granted him.
In the last moments, His Dark Skin Turned normal. The Cursed flesh that Covered him has been cleansed. The Fearsome Dark Lord turned into a Small Man who had a kind smile on his face. Before his body turned into a yellow dust, he whispered something, and I heard it.
I turned around and Opened the dimensional portal. I sent Katie through it first, while I turned around and watched for a while. I will never forget his last words.
"Thank You, Harold".
Tanoth, The Black Was Dead.