Alex clenched his teeth and forced his attention. He could not afford to show this demon king how tired he already was. He nodded to his clone, and they split, each to face one of the remaining two beasts.
His clone charged at the second beast, his sword flashing in those swift and accurate strokes that Alex could only admire. Meanwhile, Alex was facing the first creature, staring at him with its eyes aglow red, furious as it prepared to lunge at him once more. This time, Alex was ready.
He dodged sharply to the side as the creature's huge paw came crashing down. He sliced upward with his sword deep into its side. The beast roared in pain, reeling backward, but it wasn't finished yet.
Alex saw that from the corner of his eye, his clone was fighting against the second beast. It fought with all its might, but the brute strength of the creature soon overpowered it. Alex knew he had to finish his fight quickly, or the clone wouldn't last much longer.
He pressed the attack, his sword slicing at the thing's legs in a bid to drop it. It roared once more and swiped its claws at him, but Alex avoided all by a hair. His muscles screamed hot with exhaustion, but he couldn't afford to stop. Not now. Not when the demon king was watching.
With one final, strong jerk, Alex thrust his sword deep in the neck of the creature. Letting out one final earsplitting scream, it fell to the ground with no further movement.
One down.
But there was no time to rest. His clone was in an urgent plight, desperately trying to hold off the second beast, while the third circled around him, trying to find the perfect moment to attack.
Ke-keep moving!" Alex yelled to his clone as he ran to the second beast, his clone nodded and sidestepped the attack of the creature's claws once more. The two flung themselves at either side of the beast, making it stumbled in confusion with its reflection-like attacks.
The Demon King watched him wordlessly, his expression unreadable. Alex could feel the weight of his gaze, the intensity of his scrutiny, and knew the king sensed that something was off with him. He had to tread carefully lest he gave too much away.
But just as that second beast was about to give up the ghost, the third launched itself into a furious attack. In a deafening roar, it charged at Alex's clone, swiping at it with deadly precision. The clone barely dodged in time, but Alex could tell it was weakening.
He had to act fast.
"Now!" shouted Alex, and the clone sprang into action, its sword plunging into the leg of the second beast. The creature went down, stumbling, and Alex grasped the opportunity, striking the final blow against its neck. With that, the second beast fell, leaving just one more.
But the third beast was craftier, and it held its distance, studied its opponent carefully, waited for an opening. Alex could feel his body start to tire, his exhaustion seep into his limbs-he could only keep this up a little longer.
The demon king got to his feet once more, his voice echoing through the arena. "Is this the best you can do, Alex? I expected more.
Alex gritted his teeth and scowled. He didn't want to hear any of the demon king's taunts. He had only one more beast to conquer, then he could just sleep.
But this third creature was fast. Much too fast. In an instant, it assaulted him, and Alex barely raised his arms in time to block it. His arms shook beneath the force of the blow as he stumbled backward, gasping for air.
Done for, he was. The creature towered over him, claws rising for the finishing blow.
Then suddenly, his clone appeared out of nowhere, charging into the beast with all his might. The creature roared in anger, dismissing its attention to Alex just long enough for him to get back up.
Energy surging, Alex forced himself to his feet. He couldn't have his clone do all the work. Together, they went at it from both sides, each strike coming quick and wearing down the beast bit by bit. It snarled, and snapped at them, but Alex could see it was starting to tire.
Finally, with one last concerted attack, Alex and his clone struck as one. Their blades pierced the creature's heart, and it collapsed with a resounding thud.
It was over.
Alex just stood there, panting, reeking of sweat and dirt. His clone flickered once and then disappeared, its energy spent. He had won, but barely. His body was in agony, and he knew this couldn't continue much longer.
Slow applause from the demon king sounded in the arena. "Impressive, Alex. Very impressive. But I wonder… how is it that you, someone who was so weak before, managed to defeat three of my finest beasts?"
Alex's heart raced. The suspicion in the demon king's voice was unmistakable. He knew. Or at least, he suspected something.
"I've been training," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "You said yourself I needed to get stronger. I've been working hard."
The demon king's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps. But I think there's more to it than that."
Alex swallowed hard, forcing himself to meet the demon king's gaze. He couldn't afford to show any weakness. Not now. Not when he was so close to escaping the demon king's control.
"Regardless," the demon king continued, "you have proven yourself today. But I will be keeping an eye on you, Alex. Very closely. "
Alex nodded, his stomach twisting with unease. The demon king was onto him, but for now, he had survived. And that was all that mattered.
But as he turned to leave the arena, a sudden notification flashed in front of him:
[System Warning: The Demon King is now actively monitoring your activities. Proceed with caution.]
Alex's blood ran cold. First, it was the suspicion of the demon king that was growing; now, the system itself was warning him. He couldn't afford any more mistakes. He need to work fast.