SHROUD THE LAST DEMON SLAYER (HENACE ERA)

CHAPTER 4 : THE HOLY HUNT

[SCENE SHIFTS] {SHROUD WAS LAYING ON A BED} An old man entered the room . [ The old man's face was a map of wrinkles, etched by the passage of time and the weight of wisdom. His eyes, though, told a different story. One eye, a bright blue, sparkled with warmth and kindness, while the other was clouded, sightless, and milky white. A patch covered the empty socket, a reminder of a long-forgotten battle or accident. His hair was thin and gray, combed over the top of his head to hide the balding spots. A long white beard, streaked with threads of silver, reached down to his chest, and his mustache was yellowed and wispy. One arm, the left, hung limp and useless, the skin covered in dark, swirling patterns that seemed to shift and writhe like living shadow. The magical virus, or curse, had left its mark, a constant reminder of the old man's vulnerability. Despite his frailty, the old man's presence radiated warmth and gentleness. His smile, though worn and tired, could light up a room, and his voice, low and soothing, was like a balm to the soul. He moved with a slow, deliberate grace, as if savoring every moment, every step. His eyes, though dimmed by age and injury, still shone with a deep, abiding kindness ] . He had a bandage in his hands which he used to cured shroud's wounds . "What a great demon slayer . I've never seen such a demon slayer to survive that devil hearted . He's special for sure", said the old man with a creepy smile on his face . "Who.....are you ?", asked shroud as he opened his eyes in pain . "I'm leen . An former demon slayer", said master leen . "What.....am I doing here ?", asked shroud . "Magic master took you here . You weren't in good condition but I think now you're good", said master leen . "Mind If I ask you some questions?", asked shroud as he got up . "I'm here to help you", master leen replied with a smile . "What your relation with the magic master", asked shroud in confusion . "He's my student as well as devil hearted ", said master leen . "Devil hearted ? He's heartless . He's the reason why I'm here", said shroud in furry . "I think you should thank that he spared your life . He's not a man to mess with , anger issues you know", said master leen with a sigh . "Do you know me?", asked shroud . " You're the son of Xoma Hanji . How can I not know you ?", asked master leen with a smile . "You know my father ?", asked shroud in shock . "Xoma and I fought a lot of demons but he was different from me",said master leen . "What do you mean he was different from you ?", asked shroud . "He never killed a demon . He was a nightmare for all demons and even I was scared of him", said master leen . "He never killed a single demon in his entire life?", asked shroud . "He had many rules for fights and wars . He never killed a demon because he wanted to give another chance to all demons", said master leen . "How did he die?", asked shroud . "He was killed by the demon queen . I lost my one eye in that fight and was able to escape barely but she casted a spell on me", said master leen . "He....was killed by the demon queen?", asked shroud as his eyes filled with tears . "The demon queen is the highest rank among all demon ranks",said master leen . "What's with the ranks?",asks shroud in confusion . "First off all , The normal demons , then The lower special ranks , than the upper special ranks , then the demon kings and finally the demon queen who controls all of them", said master leen . "I'll kill all of them . It's revenge time", said shroud with an evil smile . "I want you to know that your father was the strongest demon slayer to ever exist but even he couldn't defeat the demon queen . You better be careful before something bad happens",said master leen . "I'll take care of it . I wanna ask you another thing which is irritating me", said shroud with a soft voice . "I'm listening",said master leen . "I don't know how I use my powers . I mean....I get teleported anywhere without using my powers . I don't even know how much powers I have", said shroud with a sigh . "I've never seen such a case before but only conclusion I got from this is that the voices always leads you to something",said Master leen . Suddenly , shroud heard the same mysterious voices in his ear . "Oh hell ! It's happening again . It's hurting me", said shroud in painful voice . "Try to think where the voices the coming from . It must be a lead for you",said master leen . Shroud , with a relaxed mind though about that where the voices were coming from . "I'll use my powers to go there", said shroud . "You can't go . It can be a trap too", said master leen . "It doesn't matter now . Power 13 {THE TELEPORTER}", said shroud as he vanished into the air . "I hope you don't die", said master leen with a sigh .

[SCENE SHIFTS] {A LADY DEMON WAS DOING SOME KIND OF RITUAL IN A MYSTERIOUS ROOM } "I can't wait for the moment we'll take over the world", said the lady demon with an evil laugh . [ The demon lady's presence was a dark and foreboding storm cloud, her evil aura palpable and suffocating. Her horns, curved and twisted like a ram's, sprouted from her forehead, their tips sharp and menacing. Her eyes glowed like embers from the underworld, burning with an inner fire that seemed to pierce the soul. Her skin was deathly pale, almost translucent, and seemed to stretch taut over her skeletal frame. Her lips were thin and cruel, painted with a scarlet smile that seemed to mock and taunt. Her hair was a wild tangle of black locks, like a dark halo, framing her face with an unholy glow. Her powers crackled and pulsed around her, a dark energy that seemed to sear the air and make it hard to breathe. The ground seemed to tremble beneath her feet, as if the very earth itself feared her presence. Her gaze was a cold, calculating weight, like a physical touch that made the skin crawl. She moved with a fluid grace, her movements almost serpentine, as if she were gliding across the ground rather than walking. Her very presence seemed to draw the light out of the room, leaving only shadows and an oppressive sense of dread. She was the embodiment of a nightmare, a living, breathing terror that seemed to haunt the dreams of the damned ] . "I don't think that's gonna happen until I die", said shroud with an evil smile as he teleported right next to her . "Who are you?", asked the lady demon . "I was about to ask the same question . But I'll go first . I'm shroud , the demon slayer", said shroud . "I'm Miltina , one of the lower special ranks", said Miltina . "I can tell by your powers . But today , luck is not on your side", said shroud . Miltina used her powers and they both got teleported in an unusual place surrounded by magical barriers . "What the hell did you do ?", asked shroud . "I summoned the magical barriers by the help of great nine spirits . The barriers can't be broken . Only one of us gonna out of her alive , shroud ", said Miltina with an evil laugh . "Nine great spirits? I've never heard of that", shroud whispered to himself . "So, shroud . I've heard a lot about you . You're quite a legend among demon slayers", said Miltina with a smile . "By your powers , I can tell you're a legend too", said shroud gritting his teeth . "Yes , yes I am . My powers are different from other demons . You'll be the honoured one to be killed by me", said Miltina with an evil laugh . Suddenly , Shroud hands turned in to a demon's blade by its own . Shroud was shocked to see that , but he didn't said a word . "I'd rather kill you and add to my own legend", said shroud . "We'll see about that . Shroud , let's end this", said Miltina as she smirked . They engaged in a fierce battle , their powers clashed in a spectacular display of light and darkness . Shroud fought with all of his might but Miltina's powers were too strong , and she gained the upper hand . "It's over shroud . Your heart belongs to me",said Miltina as she raised her hand . Shroud fell in his knees because he didn't had any power left to fight her anymore . "No....it can't be", said shroud as he coughed blood . "It's the end . Your heart will make a fine addition to my collection", said Miltina with an evil smile . With a swift motion , Miltina reached in to shroud's chest and pulled out his heart . She squeezed it in her hand , blood splattered every where . "Another legend down . Wasn't too bad for me", said Miltina with an evil laugh . Shroud's body vanished into the air . Miltina was shocked to see that the barriers were still there meaning the battle wasn't over . "H....how?", she asked to herself in shock . "Guess what ? I'm not dead yet", said shroud with an evil laugh as he teleported right next to her . Surprisingly , shroud's body fully recovered without leaving a sign . "Ah , shroud . I thought I finally killed you but it seems you're harder to kill than I thought ", said Miltina while smiling evilly . "You though you had won Miltina . But you were wrong , and now , I'll kill you the most brutal way known to demon and human kind", said shroud in furry as his eyes blazed with revenge . "You're still weak from the last battle . You can't defeat me", said Miltina as she laughed evilly . "You'll never kill me again and I'll make sure that you don't harm anyone else", said shroud as he got enraged . Shroud charges at Miltina , as a demon's blade appeared in his hands . Miltina tried to defeat herself , but shroud's furry was too much for her . He strikes her down , again and again , brutally and mercilessly with evil laughs . "No ! Have mercy", screamed Miltina as her eyes filled with tears . "I'm starting to have fun , Miltina . Come ! Play with me", said shroud with an evil laugh . "I'll do anything for you . I beg you to have mercy on me", said Miltina as she took deep breaths . "Miltina , I shall see you again in death", said shroud with an evil laugh as he went for a final blow , he strikes her down , her body crashed to the ground . Miltina's dead body vanished into the air as she died . "I'll kill every one for you until my last breath", said shroud with a laugh . The barriers vanished into the air , marking the end of the battle . "I got it now. I can teleport anywhere if I'm concentrated", said shroud to himself , gained some strength ...................