A tense silence hung in the air as the two figures circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The demon's eyes narrowed, its muscles tensing as it prepared to strike.
With a deafening roar, the demon lunged at the Harbinger, its claws outstretched like deadly scythes.
The Harbinger, however, was unfazed. It gracefully evaded the attack, its movements a blur of shadows and light.
The demon stumbled forward, its momentum carrying it past the Harbinger. It whirled around, its eyes burning with rage.
"You're quick, but you won't escape me!" it growled, its voice low and menacing.
The demon unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, each blow aimed at the Harbinger's vital points. The Harbinger effortlessly dodged and weaved, its movements a mesmerizing dance of evasion and counterattack.
"Is that all you've got?" the Harbinger taunted, its voice echoing through the night.
The demon roared in frustration, its attacks growing wilder and more desperate. The Harbinger continued to dodge and parry, its movements almost hypnotic in their fluidity.
The battle raged on, the two figures locked in a deadly dance. The demon's claws raked across the Harbinger's chest, tearing through its shadowy form. But the Harbinger didn't flinch. It seized the demon's arm, twisting it with a sickening crack. The demon howled in pain, its grip on the Harbinger weakening.
Thud!
With a powerful kick, the Harbinger sent the demon flying backward, its massive body crashing into a nearby lamppost. The lamppost shattered, showering sparks and glass onto the pavement.
The demon lay sprawled on the ground, its chest heaving with ragged breaths. The Harbinger stood over it, its form shimmering in the moonlight.
"You are no match for me," the Harbinger declared, its voice echoing through the silent street. "Leave this place, and never return."
The demon snarled, its eyes filled with hatred and defiance.
Just then, I saw an opportunity. I quickly pressed the button on my watch, the gun materializing in my hand.
Click!
Without hesitation, I aimed for the demon's head and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the air, piercing the demon's skull with a sickening crunch.
"Gaaaah!" the demon shrieked in agony, its body convulsing violently. "W-What... a human weapon... can harm me?!"
I smirked at the demon's shocked cry. So, you're not invincible after all.
But my triumph was short-lived. The demon's body began to glow with an eerie blue light, its form shimmering and contorting.
"Run!" The Harbinger's voice screamed in my head, urgency lacing every syllable.
Without hesitation, I leaped onto my motorcycle and sped away.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As we raced down the street, I heard a series of deafening explosions behind us. I risked a glance in the rearview mirror and saw massive shards of ice erupting from the spot where the demon had fallen.
I pushed the bike to its limits, weaving through traffic as the icy projectiles whizzed past us.
"What was that?!" I shouted over the roar of the engine, my heart pounding in my chest.
"It seems it was an elemental demon," the Harbinger's voice echoed in my mind. "Asmar has summoned a dangerous creature... a demon of ice. These demons typically possess one of three elements: fire, for common demons; ice, for those dwelling in the frozen depths of hell; and darkness, the most powerful and sinister of them all."
Swoosh!
"Xian! Dodge it!" the Harbinger's voice screamed in my ear, the urgency in his tone unmistakable.
I reacted instinctively, wrenching the handlebars to the left. A massive shard of ice whizzed past my shoulder, the cold air rushing past it leaving a trail of frost on my skin.
"Shit!" I cursed, my heart pounding in my chest as I narrowly avoided the icy projectile.
The demon, enraged by the missed attack, unleashed a torrent of ice shards towards us. The air crackled with the sound of shattering glass as the projectiles ripped through the night, narrowly missing us.
I swerved the motorcycle wildly, dodging the onslaught of ice. The demon's laughter echoed through the streets, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine.
"Do something!" I yelled to the Harbinger, my voice filled with desperation.
The Harbinger materialized behind me, its form flickering in and out of existence.
Whoosh! A particularly large ice shard hurtled towards us, its razor-sharp edges glinting in the moonlight.
Thud! The Harbinger kicked out, its foot connecting with the ice shard and shattering it into a thousand pieces. The fragments rained down around us, harmlessly bouncing off the motorcycle's metal frame.
Without hesitation, I took my left hand off the handlebars and aimed the gun at the demon's head.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots echoed through the night, the muzzle flash momentarily illuminating the creature's grotesque features. The demon shrieked in pain, its body convulsing as it stumbled backwards.
Lights flickered on in nearby houses as startled residents awoke to the sound of gunfire. I knew I had to get out of there before anyone saw me.
Spotting a CCTV camera mounted on a nearby building, I quickly fired a shot, disabling the lens.
Bang!
***
The next morning, I stood in front of the TV, watching the news coverage of the previous night's events. The reporter spoke of a mysterious attack by an unknown assailant, but there was no mention of a demon or supernatural powers.
"This night, there's an random attack to the sky, a guy with a motorcycle with no registratios number, and shoot a gun at behind him…"
Good thing the demon vanished before anyone could get a good look at it, I thought to myself.
"Oh Lord... a gun?" my father exclaimed from the couch, his eyes glued to the screen.
"It's pretty rare for someone to have a gun in this country, isn't it?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yes," my father replied, his brow furrowed in concern. "Only the police and military are allowed to carry firearms here."
I nodded, a knot of guilt tightening in my stomach. I knew I was treading a dangerous path, but I couldn't ignore the injustice that Hana had suffered.
I excused myself and headed upstairs to my room, my mind already racing with thoughts of my next move.
I closed my bedroom door behind me, the silence a stark contrast to the bustling bazaar below. My laptop, perched on my desk, was still diligently scanning for the IP addresses of the public CCTV cameras near the scene of last night's encounter.
I sat down and saw that the scan had completed, a list of IP addresses filling the screen.
[CCTV IP: 125.664.262.0.1]
[Pwd: 000000]
"Huh, the password is '000000'?" I muttered in disbelief. "Well, it is a public camera, after all..."
I activated the VPN on my laptop, ensuring my anonymity, and entered the IP address into the browser. The live feed from the camera flickered to life, showing the street where the confrontation with the ice demon had taken place.
"There it is..." I whispered to myself, my eyes scanning the footage for any sign of our presence. "I need to erase this before anyone sees it..."
But curiosity got the better of me. I decided to review the footage first, just to see what had been captured on camera.
< Chapter 065 > Fin.