The air around them became a malevolent symphony of murmurs, their voices dripping with contempt and drunk on delusions of achievement. "Now bring out the prison bracelet," their leader commanded, his tone sharp and resolute, cutting through the collective whispers like a knife. One demon reached into a worn leather satchel, his claw tearing the interior until he drew out a thick, heavy golden bracelet, an inlaid crystal shining clear upon its face: a space bracelet, designed to trap and contain truly powerful creatures.
Boss, the crystal on the ring is out of energy!" exclaimed the demon, his voice laced with urgency. The news immediately shattered their facade of smug satisfaction, their collective attention snapping away from Nyxander to focus on the dilemma.
"What do you mean?" their leader barked; his dark eyes narrowed down like embers flaring in the crimson Moon. "Check properly! There should be a spare crystal battery in the bag." The group scrambled in frantic movements; their claws clinked against the metallic contents as they rifled through the bag.
Moments of agonized silence later, one of them suddenly cried out in triumph, "Oh! This is it! He held up a crystal that shimmered faintly, the dim light sending fractured beams across the space in shadow. Their leader strode over, heavy footsteps echoing like a war drum, and clapped the demon on the shoulder. "Your contribution will not be forgotten," he said with a toothy grin, his voice laced with venomous charisma. Turning to the others, he issued his next command in unyielding authority.
"Let's get this over with before those Primordials show up."
The demons returned to the net now cast upon the ground, the wicked tapestry of their victory ensured. But then, in that moment of distraction, Nyxander had his chance. His gigantic frame contracted at supernatural velocity as muscles coiled into a more agile form, dashing out from the thick web of filaments.
What? The net is still intact!" exclaimed one of the demons with panic in his voice.
Could he have awoken his connection to the Void?" another whispered, a tinge of dread filtering into his voice as collectively they froze, the triumph of moments before lost to the bitter air. The light of joy that had lit their depraved faces now dissolved to a haze of sorrow, as if it had never been anything more than a cruel illusion.
What are you all standing here for?!" he shouted, cutting through their despair as if it were with a blade. His glare snapped the sharpness-to, piercing to each of them. "Even if he's awakened his connection to the Law of Void, he couldn't have gone far. He's still within reach.
His words re-ignited a flicker of hope among the group; their fear gave way to a new sense of purpose. "Now split into two groups and search everywhere. He shouldn't be far, and he'll be easy to track," the leader barked. Without further ado, the demons scattered, swift and methodical in executing his command, their shadows dissolving into the oppressive environment in pursuit of their elusive prey. But the leader lingered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the empty net. The faintest flicker of doubt crept into his dark eyes, though his expression remained unreadable. He turned to join his subordinates.
The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, the night like an impenetrable veil. Somewhere within this oppressive stillness, Nyxander paused, his chest heaving as he leaned against the rough wall of a cave. His breath came in ragged bursts, his mind racing like a storm-tossed sea. "Who are they? I thought only titanic beings lived on this world. And… why do they want to capture me?" he murmured, his thoughts swirling like smoke.
The faint crunch of movement in the distance snapped him out of his musings. His instincts screamed, and he retreated further into the cave, pressing himself into the shadows. Anxiety coiled in his chest like a serpent, squeezing tighter with each passing second. "Are they some tribe that has a grudge against my clan? But they look more like… demons from comic books," he muttered, his imagination piecing together fragments of fear and confusion.
A voice, low and grating, cut through the tension. "So this is where you're hiding."
Nyxander's heart clenched as his gaze darted toward the source. Emerging from the gloom were two demons, their forms warped and sinister. One gripped a golden bracelet tightly, its ominous crystal shimmering faintly. Each held a blade that seemed to drink in the surrounding light. "This is our chance to please the leader," the one with the bracelet growled, raising it toward Nyxander, while a cruel smile crept up his lips. The crystal started to pulse, and its glow grew brighter and more intense.
Panic coursed through Nyxander, an instinctive need to survive overruling his thoughts. Without hesitation, he threw down his Little Titan Fist-a desperate attack that careened toward the demons with the force of a meteor. They dodged with unsettling ease, the one with the bracelet spinning backward in a lithe arc while the other rolled behind Nyxander with fluid, predator-precise motion.
In the blink of an eye, Nyxander was surrounded; their plan was self-apparent. The demon at his face raised the bracelet once more. Its crystal pulsed to life with a malevolent light that painted the walls of the cave in ghostly hues. Behind him, the second demon folded into the shadows, form dissolving into darkness. "Discords of the Shadow Step," he hissed. Liquid night, he flung toward Nyxander with the apparent purpose of buying time for his partner.
The growing intensity of the bracelet's glow blinded Nyxander, and he began to stumble backward, shielding his eyes. His retreat was very clumsy, and in his disorientation, his foot caught on an uneven rock. He tripped, his massive frame collapsing to the ground like a toppled colossus. The demon charging toward him had no time to make any adjustments. Nyxander's large frame fell upon him with his butt sickening crunch, the impact similar to a collapsing mountain.
Nyxander struggled onto his feet, bewildered but determined, and the first thing his eyes had focused on was the crushed demon beneath him. That sight brought a mixture of shock and grim realization. Without losing the moment, he seized the dead body, hoisting it up like some crude weapon. The demon with the bracelet, now fully focused on channeling power into the crystal, barely had time for anything as Nyxander hurtled the corpse at him with desperate strength.
The bracelet's crystal flared, releasing a stream of light as its energy reached critical mass. Instead of striking Nyxander, the beam caught the hurled demon and drew the corpse inside the bracelet's prison with a blinding light. The cave went silent, the stifling mood briefly disturbed by Nyxander's inadvertent ingenuity.
Nyxander stood, panting, his eyes wide as his mind worked to comprehend what had just happened. "What… was that?" he muttered to himself, the weight of his survival pressing heavily upon his shoulders as the oppressive night seemed to draw in once more.
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