The Red Hand

Chapter 472 – Vikal and Enūma (Part 2).

"Such energy." One of the Knights stepped back as Vikal's energy exploded outward. The young child's power was dark, thick, toxic and downright overwhelming. The Temple Knights had fought many a dark beings in their time but Vikal's was truly something unique. "It must be a Demon of the highest rank. We must warn the rest of the company! A full assault will be requires to purge it!”"

"Why have you come here?!? Why did you attack my brother?!?" Vika yelled again, his energy bursting forward violently as it writhed like a coiled-up ball of angry snakes. "Answer me!"

"Lieutenant, we should withdraw." Another one of the Knights said as he gestured toward their dead Captain. "This creature is too dangerous for us to handle alone."

"The two of you will go, I'll hold it off." The Knight Lieutenant said as he deployed his shield, slammed it into the ground, and activated the magic within, creating a light barrier that drove back Vikal's energy.

{A barrier? I see, its divine in nature. How annoying.} (Enūma)

"I... May the Gods protect you, sir..." The two Knights nodded as they turned and fled into the woods, both knowing full well that their comrade was going to die.

"Come, monster! I shall be your opponent! Know that the Gods protect me and grant me my strength! I fear not a vile creature such as yourself." The Knight Lieutenant roared. "My name is-"

*SLICE*

"What an absolute blowhard." Enūma sighed as Vikal sliced the man horizontally in two, shattering his barrier like glass as his flopped to the ground with a squish. "If he weren't such a fool, I'd be angry that he had the gall to believe himself capable of fighting you for even a moment."

"They hurt Alec, Enūma!" Vikal yelled, his voice warping into a near cannibalistic growl. "They hurt him and... What about Mom, Dad... Everyone at the village!" He panicked, realizing that his brother was likely not the only one hurt by the knights.

"Calm yourself, Master. There is no need to worry about any of that. These fools aren't worthy of your anger." Enūma tried to soothe him, not wanting him to snap.

"I need to go make sure everyone else is okay! If they attacked Alec, they might've hurt others!" Vikal said as he looked down at his unconscious brother. "Alec..." His Brother would most likely be fine, though he knew that the same was not guaranteed for the others in the village.

"Mortals are afraid of that which they do not understand." Enūma sighed. "These men likely attacked for the same reason the villagers ostracized you, Master. In the end, Mortals are nothing but fools."

{That's why they need to be kept under the control of a force far greater than them. Lest their stupidity lead them to do things like this.} (Enūma)

"But that doesn't mean people should get hurt! Especially because of me!" Vikal said as he picked up his brother and moved him to the small dilapidated 'house' that he lived in, leaning him against the door. "Wait here, Alec. I'll go save Mom, Dad, and everyone else! I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me!" He said before taking off into the woods after the two knights.

As Vikal ran through the forest, the smell of smoke began filling his nostrils, and the closer he got to the edge of the village, the more intense the scent became.

"A fire!" Vikal yelled as he leaped into a tree on the edge of the forest just in time to see one of the farmhouses collapse in the distance as it was engulfed in flames. The entire village was in flames, and the smell of blood permeated the area alongside the stench of burning flesh.

"It would appear that the Temple Knights are 'cleansing' the village." Enūma hummed as a knight cut down a male villager in the distance. “I would've been surprised had then done anything else.”

"But why?!? Why would the knights hurt people who didn't do anything wrong?!?" Vikal exclaimed as he frantically scanned the area to get a better understanding of what was going on. "Mom and Dad said the knights protect people! They shouldn't hurt the nice people here!"

"It's because of you, Master." Enūma said curtly, her words like daggers in the young Demon Lord's heart. "The knights were likely informed of your existence by one of the villagers, and they decided to purge everyone associated with you as a precaution. Honestly, I'm surprised that this didn't happen sooner."

"But the other villagers didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one they want, right?!? Why hurt others?!?" Vikal yelled, not understanding why innocent people would be dragged into this by the knights.

"This is just how mortals are, Master." Enūma said as they watched another knight run a woman through the back with is blade. "They're foolish creatures prone to acting on emotion. This is exactly why I've told you that coexisting with them in the way that you desire is impossible. You should give up on trying to make it work. Demon Lords and mortals are fundamentally incompatible. Better to cull their numbers and rule over the-"

"SHUT UP!" Vikal screamed at the top of his lungs, startling the blade who'd never experienced his anger being directed at her. "That's not right! That's not right! You're wrong, Enūma! We can be friends with them! We CAN! I just need to show people that I'm not a monster! I'm sure they'll listen if we just talk!" He yelled, Enūma deciding to hold her tongue rather than rebuke him since it would only lead to further arguments.

"In the end, it is your choice, Master. I am merely your servant and exist to aid you in taking the path that you choose. Please forgive me for speaking out of turn. I should not be trying to sway you in such away." Enūma replied, not entirely thrilled with the ideas that Vikal had in his head about mortals but also acknowledging that she'd stepped out of line. "If you wish to pursue a path of coexistence, then that is your right as Demon Lord. After all, this world belongs to you. Do with it as you wish."

{Though I'd much prefer you to crush this world and place it firmly at your mercy. Demon Lords are rightful heirs and rulers of their worlds, so why would one lower itself and pretend to be an equal? I'm sure my Master will come to understand his stature in time. He is, after all, just a child who needs to shed his naivety. Perhaps this will be the catalyst for just such a change.} (Enūma)

"Then I choose to save them!" Vikal yelled as he rushed toward the burning village, desperate to find his parents. "Mom! Dad! Mom! Dad!" He called out for the two of them but received no response, only hearing screams in the distance as the knights slaughtered the villagers. It was truly a gruesome sight as bodies filled the dirt road, some burned after having been caught inside the buildings only to jump out when the fire gave them no other choice. "No! Stop it!" Vikal screamed as he watched a group of knights cut down a group of villagers who were fleeing the burning granary.

"What the hell is that thing?!?" One of the knights exclaimed as he turned to face Vikal, fresh blood running down his blade.

"That must be the Demon!" Another knight said as the five men readied themselves for battle. "Strike it down! We will purge its disgusting visage from-"

*SLICE* *SWISH* *FLICK* *SWOOSH*

"Get out of my way!" Vikal roared as he sliced the five knights to ribbons, scattering gore and viscera across the dirt road without so much as slowing down as he rushed toward his home. "I gotta find Mom and Dad! Mom! Dad!"

"It shouldn't be much further, Master. But be careful. I sense a more powerful foe ahead. Do not let your guard down." Enūma warned Vikal that someone more powerful than the knights was close by, but the young Demon Lord didn't respond. If anything, her Enūma's words only served to make him more frantic as he picked up speed.

{Please be okay! Mom! Dad! Everyone!} (Vikal)

Rushing at full speed toward his family's small homestead, Vikal's held out hope that his family would be safe. However, as he reached the crest of the small hill upon which it say his worst fears were realized. His family home had been set ablaze, burning out of control, but the worst part, the part that made him feel a swirling of dark emotions deep within his chest, was the sight of his parent's bleeding corpses tossed into the grass not far from the entrance. From the moment his brother had come running to him for help, Vikal had feared the worst. Even at such a young age, Vikal was more than able to understand the gravity of the situation, and deep down, he'd been terrified that it was already too late to save his family. Seeing the mangled and bloodied corpses of his Mother and Father caused him to freeze in place as his eyes locked on their bodies. He stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity, and not even Enūma's words of caution that a group of enemies were approaching could snap him out of his stupor until... something inside the young Demon Lord snapped.

"Is this our target?" A blonde-haired woman wearing a set of much more ornate gold and white plate mail asked the other members of her team. Enūma could tell that whoever this woman was, she was far and away the most powerful knight around. She had an aura of divinity that was unlike that of the blessed knights, though it was clear that she was not a deity in her own right as it was still rather weak. Enūma reasoned that she was either a Demi-God or a distant descendant of one, though that still put her head and shoulders above your average mortal. "It reeks of Demonic power. Ugh, what a disgusting monster. I wonder which of the Archdukes created this one too?" The woman said as she pulled a massive two-handed battle axe from her back that was overflowing with divine power.

"It would seem so. Its description matches what the village chief told us. A young child, no more than seven or eight years old, with brown hair and eyes. If he's not the Demon, then I'd say we have another problem." A female voice answered, seeming to originate from the weapon she was holding. "Just be careful, Diona. This thing is dangerous."

{A divine weapon? How interesting. I didn't think we'd run into one so soon.} (Enūma)

"I'm aware, trust me, I'm aware." Diona replied as she readied herself for battle. While youthful in apperance and attitude a Demi-God could be ancient in reality. While Enūma had no clue how old she was, it was obvious that she had plenty of combat experience. "You four, stand back, this monster is mine." She looked to the other knights, who nodded as they stepped behind her. “Now, it's time to send you back to the Hells where you belong, monster!" She roared as she slammed her axe into the ground, creating a shock wave of divine power that raced toward Vikal at incredible speed. The attack was so powerful that it vaporized the ground beneath it and even ionized the air as it rushed forward, creating a crackling sound and lightning that would disoriente anyone unlucky enough to be nearby.

"Master! Master! Snap out of it! You need to-" Enūma called out to Vikal in an attempt to shake him out of his stupor, but was silenced as he spoke a single word in a cursed tongue that only she understood.

"[Consumption.]" Vikal's single word seemed to chill the air, the sound of his voice enough to chill a man the bone. At first, nothing happened, but a moment later, he waved his hand as if he were lazily swatting a fly while glaring at the four knights.

*WOOSH*

"What?!?" Diona yelled in shock as not only was her attack completely dispelled, but the four men alongside her vanished, exploding in black smoke that left only their weapons and armor in the spot where they once stood. "What did you do to them?!?"

"Hahahahahahaha." Vikal replied with a chilling laugh. It wasn't particularly loud, but that only served to make it all the more disturbing, even for Enūma. "I ate them." He said with a twisted smile.

"A-Ate?" Diona stepped back unconsciously as her eyes met his, fear seeming to well up from her very soul. “”W-Wha?

"You killed them?" Vikal asked as he pointed to the bodies of his parents.

"I... We..." Diona's entire body froze in terror as she struggled to respond. She had no idea what Vikal was, but her mind was screaming at her to run. She'd fought plenty of Demons in her time, but what she was feeling from Vikal was unlike anything she'd sensed before.

"What did they do to deserve this?" Vikal asked as his head tilted like a curious dog, though rather than being cute it was absolutely horrifying. "Why did you kill my parents? Why did you attack my brother? Why did you kill the villagers? What did they do to deserve death? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why?" Why? Why? Why? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?" He repeated over and over again before screaming, his energy bursting forth in a massive torrent that shot skyward and banished the clouds above. "Why you you kill them?!? They did nothing wrong! No one here hurt anyone!"

"Diona, we need to leave now." Her axe said as it tried to snap the Demi-God out of her terror, though that proved difficult. "Diona!"

"W-What are you?" Diona asked, the words slipping out uncontrollably.

"ANSWER ME!" Vikal roared as his power exploded again. “WHY DID YOU DO IT?!?”

"W-We were told... T-That a Demon was born in the village... T-The Chief reported it t-to the Temple..." Diona said as her body shook violently from fear, her legs unwilling to move no matter how desperately she wanted to run. "I-I was sent to l-lead a force... and deal with the Demon."

"SO YOU KILLED EVERYONE?!?" Vikal growled. “WHY?!?”

"T-Those were my o-orders..." Diona said as she fell backward to the ground, dropping her weapon. "I-I was told to d-destroy the village as a p-precaution."

"Whose Orders?" Vikal asked in a much quieter but nonetheless terrifying tone.

"M-My Grandmother... Lady Kalrina..." Diona managed to squeak out the name of the Goddess of Justice.

{I suppose that makes sense. That's the God whom the Temple Knights answer to, after all.} (Enūma)

"I see..." Vikal said as he spun Enūma in his hand and shifted himself into a stance that placed the tip of her blade just above the ground.

"P-Please, just let me-" Diona tried to plead for her life, but didn't get the chance as Vikal flicked his blade forward and created a massive blast of energy that dwarfed what she'd done moments earlier.

*WOOSH*

His attack was so large that it eclipsed the size of nearby mountains, and when it finally dissipated, his strike left behind a several-mile-long and deep trench that reached the horizon in the distance. Diona, her unnamed weapon partner, and Vikal's childhood home were vaporized in an instant, leaving nothing behind as he stood silently staring out over the destruction he'd wrought on the landscape.

"Enūma." Vikal called out to his companion, who found herself in a state of shock. She knew he was powerful and as such was no surprised by the destruction but the coldness of his actions caught her completely off guard.

"Yes, Master?" Enūma replied after a moment of silence.

"You said I can do whatever I want in this world, right?" Vikal asked the blade as he pointed her toward the horizon.

"O-Of course, this world is yours to do with as you please." Enūma replied with a bit of nervousness in her voice. She knew that Vikal had snapped and was worried that he'd completely lost himself. "If there is a future you wish to see, then all you need to do is grasp it with your own two hands. That is your right as the Demon Lord assigned to this world."

"Then do you think if I kill all the Gods and the bad people that listen to them, that I can be friends with the rest?" Vikal's question was innocent enough, but Enūma found herself chilled by the absolutely psychotic look in her Master's eyes. In that moment, Enūma felt something she'd never imagined possible; she feared her master. Enūma could tell that Vikal had embraced more of his power in the moments after seeing his parents' corpses, but she hadn't expected this to be the outcome of what she'd presumed would be a positive occurrence. However, this misunderstanding was only natural, for while Enūma was aware that Vikal was a Demon Lord, the Demonic Blade and companion failed to comprehend exactly what a Demon Lord was. A fact that she only now began to understand as she gazed in her Master's eyes and saw not the young and naive child named Vikal, but Demon Lord Vikes. He was not born to rule Enoris, he was born to destroy.