WHOOSH
The sound of air parting echoed through the shrinking dome as the figure of a small boy shot through the air like a bullet.
A wide grin plastered across his face as he set his eyes on an unsuspecting shadow leech.
The small grey monster stood beside the body of a fallen child as it drained the blood out of it. Until-
THUD
The hand of a feeble, black-haired boy wrapped around its head before it could react, dragging its body across the ground as the boy continued to dash across the large dome.
Coming to a halt, the boy shot the body of the inanimate monster towards another unsuspecting shadow leech, sending them both flying like rag dolls through the air.
SPLAT
Navy blue blood smeared across one of the stone pillars as the bodies of the two shadow leeches landed against it, shattering from the sheer force of the impact.
Noticing the fate of the two monsters, the other shadow leeches spurted away from the boy as he hunted them down.
His wide grin was unwavering as he pulled their limbs off one by one, their blood raining all over him.
After a few minutes of carnage, the boy paused as he noticed the gazes of the few remaining children around him.
"Oh? It seems I have scared the little ones."
The children's bodies trembled in place as their legs refused to move.
Even the awakened children who were fighting against the shadow leeches trembled as they witnessed the surrounding massacre; their heads darting to avoid his bright crimson eyes.
"Oh well.", said the boy as he shrugged his bloodied shoulders, "Let's continue the fun."
The frail boy disappeared in the blink of an eye before reappearing behind a fleeing monster, kicking its head off in one swing.
"Alright, that should be enough.", said the boy as he dismantled the last shadow leech, his body fully covered in navy blue blood.
In the following moment, the blood that covered the boy's body faded into him as the markings scattered across his face moved and converged into thin lines, forming the symbol of a blazing sun covered by large wings on his forehead.
The boy closed his eyes as he slowly released a long breath, marking the end of his transformation.
His crimson eyes held the same symbol as he zeroed in on his next target.
The Nightcrawler.
Ever since the boy began his massacre, the dome had been rapidly shrinking.
Closing the distance between him and that monster.
Yet in all that time, the monster never moved from its place, safeguarding the only exit from this dome.
Instead, it "watched" as the boy killed all the remaining shadow leeches; observing and studying him through its echolocation.
But now was the time its neutrality ended.
It was time for the boy to face his real challenge, to face the Nightcrawler.
'You have 420 seconds.'
The voice of another young boy rang inside the boy's mind.
"Don't worry, Luciel. This won't take long.", said the boy as he focused his conscience on the monster, a wide grin forming on his face once again.
"I am far superior to that bug."
SCREEECH!
The monster let out a roar, revealing its razor-sharp teeth as though it understood the boy's taunting.
And in an instant, the nightcrawler launched at the boy on its two hind legs, its two long, clawed arms aimed for the boy's head.
Yet the boy didn't move.
Instead, he gazed at the coming monster with amusement.
And as the monster's claws drew only inches from his head, the boy vanished.
FWOOSH
In the next moment, the boy reappeared behind the nightcrawler, hovering over its back as he set his stance for a tornado kick.
SWOOSH
With a swift motion, he spun his body into a devastating kick, sending the monster flying through multiple pillars before coming to a crashing stop.
THUD
THUD!
"I am faster."
'417 seconds.'
SCREEAACH!
The nightcrawler let out another roar as it got up from the rubble of the fallen pillars.
"Tch."
In the blink of an eye, the boy appeared in front of the monster, his stance set for a right hook to the monster's spindly body.
But with the boy's fist only centimeters away from its body, the nightcrawler blocked the boy's attack, sending it flying even further.
THUD!
A resounding crash reverberated through the shrinking dome as the monster slammed into it.
"I am stronger."
'414 seconds.'
The monster lay motionless against the dome's wall as it continued to shrink.
Seeing that the monster had stopped moving, the young, black-haired boy turned to head for the dome's weak point.
"It seems the little ones have made it out.", said the boy as he dashed to the exit; sensing no children inside the dome.
With only a few meters remaining from the exit, Luciel was sure he had survived the hellish situation.
But then-
SWOOSH
"Watch out!", a familiar voice of a young girl called out to him before he noticed the enormous claw only inches away from his head.
In a desperate motion, he spun to evade the incoming attack but still sustained an injury to his right shoulder, sending him tumbling across the ground.
THUD
The boy came to an abrupt stop as he crashed into the base of a stone pillar.
Lifting himself, the boy's eyes landed on the figure of the same girl who had helped Luciel previously.
But as he shifted his attention to what had attacked him, his gaze landed on the figure of a massive nightcrawler.
The monster had returned, but it looked and felt different.
Its body, larger.
Its black scales, thicker.
Its claws, longer.
And the aura around it, much deadlier than before.
"Well, things just got more fun.", said the boy as a wide grin crept onto his face.
'384 seconds.'