LEVEL UP

DISASTER (2)

It wasn’t a time for celebration as loud footsteps were heard, coming closer to them. As they got nearer, a menacing pressure was felt, one that sent shivers down their spines.

They knew it was not over, but what could they do now? Their strength was dissipating.

The footsteps came closer, and they could finally see it.

‘No… he did it, the bastard actually went and did it,’ Gray’s mind screamed in anger and sadness. His fist was clenched.

What they were looking at was a creature born from a Daegi, human and beast. It was hideous, but the pressure felt by its mere presence made their backs wet with fear.

They knew they had to take it down somehow.

“Let’s do this, just like old times,” Gray smiled bitterly as he held the hand of his wife and pulled her up. She smiled back, her eyes turning white.

Veins reached out to her eyes and bulged from her face. She looked at the monster with deep hatred.

Gray dropped his sword and coated his hand with a red and white flame. He had to go all out if they wanted to defeat this thing.

He flew at inhuman speed, and the fire around his hand transformed into a long sword. He made a slash, empowered with speed and strength. The air boomed around him, and a small rift opened.

The Void slash landed on the monster and dissipated into thin air. The only thing visible on the monster’s body was a faint white scratch if someone looked closely.

Seeing this, Gray was left in shock.

The monster, not bothered by the attack, made a simple wave of its hand, hitting Gray into the air.

That wave sent him flying outside at frightening speed. He crashed into the ground without stopping, creating a large crater.

Half of his robe was burnt. He tried to stand but fell immediately, coughing up a large amount of blood. The strike had affected his inner organs.

Ria appeared at his side and laid her hands on him, channeling more of her power to heal him as quickly as possible. The veins on her head grew larger as she realized she was giving him part of her life source.

Gray started feeling a bit better, but when he realized what Ria was doing, he held her hands, telling her to stop and save her strength for the fight.

The monster looked at them from the house and moved a foot forward. In an instant, it was in front of them.

It drew its hand back, morphing it into a long blade. With a swipe, it made a simple slash.

That slash was too fast for them to react. Seeing this, Ria stood in front of her husband, and it went through her. She smiled painfully as her legs gave way, collapsing into Gray’s arms.

Gray knelt and looked at her, nothing coming out of his mouth. Then he looked to the sky and screamed loudly in pain. The earth cracked beneath him, lava flowing from underneath.

He felt a new energy flowing into his body and looked at Ria’s body slowly crumbling to dust. She was giving him her last.

The fire around his hand roared wildly, turning black. He looked forward with anger as his eyes turned black.

He would kill this thing if it was the last thing he did. He sped forward at the speed of light, hitting the monster at different angles with his phantom strike. It was stronger and faster. He kept hitting it. Lava climbed his body into his hands.

He transformed his hand into a giant hand of lava and slammed the creature to the ground.

The creature held its hands up, attempting to overpower the strike, but its legs pushed into the ground. Black blood formed a pool around it. It was confused because its wounds were taking longer to heal.

The black pool of blood flowed toward Gray, merging with the lava hand. His face scrunched in pain. This much energy was too much even for him. Blood dripped from his eyes, nose, and mouth, merging with the already black lava hand.

‘If this is how I die, so be it. As long as I take you to hell with me,’ Gray thought, clenching his teeth in pain.

The creature howled, confused by its sudden weakness. The giant hand pushed further.

Gray raised the hand and slammed harder and faster. The creature was pressed to the ground.

He slammed again, again, again, again, and again.

He kept slamming until nothing was felt from the other side, but he still continued.

The hand evaporated, and Gray fell to the ground. His spirit and mind had been exhausted. He smiled, knowing he had avenged his wife.

‘If only I could see Roshan now,’ he thought.

Roshan came running to his father immediately, holding his hands, tears streaming uncontrollably.

“Father, Father, please don’t leave me here alone. I don’t want to be on my own. Please, Father,” Roshan cried, hugging him.

Gray thought he was already dead as he heard his son’s voice. He opened his eyes to see someone holding him tightly.

“Roshan…” he whispered.

“Roshan… don’t hold me like that. Do you want me to die faster?” he said, trying to lift his hand to ruffle his hair like he always did, but he could not move.

“Fa..Father, I’m sorry. I should have come earlier,” Roshan stammered, trying to wipe his tears, but they kept rushing out.

“You should have come and do what? Get yourself killed?” Gray looked at him gently, greatly admiring the boy’s courage.

“Even I couldn’t kill it faster. Otherwise your mother would still be alive,” he coughed out blood and smiled painfully.

Roshan could only listen in pain. He didn’t want to stress his father further.

“Get strong, Roshan. Stronger than your brother, your mother, stronger than me, stronger than the world leaders. You need to get strong if you want to survive. If you don’t get strong and die miserably… cough… I will be waiting for you to give you a long beating,” his father said, smiling painfully, wanting to ruffle his hair again.

Roshan knew what his father was thinking when he saw his hand twitch. He carried his father’s hand and placed it on his hair, ruffling it. Seeing this, his father grinned, blood flowing from his mouth.

“I love you, son. Get stronger.”

Roshan waited for his father to say something else, but looking into his lifeless eyes, he knew he was gone.

The body turned to dust in his hands.

Roshan let out a heart gripping scream.

He was alone for the first time in his life.