Cyclops Lesseris
777 Words
"Fifth s***h: Punitive Chop!"
Wind swirled around Iode's feet as he gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. In a few seconds, he slashed into the air. From the blade, countless slashes burst forth, forming thin glowing lines that darted in multiple directions toward ten giant red boars standing before him.
The boars had just begun to ready their offensive stance when the glowing lines cut cleanly through their massive bodies. In mere moments, they collapsed, dismembered parts scattering across the red earth. They died without even realizing what hit them.
Iode stabbed his sword into the scorched ground and held onto its hilt, panting. His face was worn, his clothes tattered and battered. Each breath he exhaled came with visible steam.
"Ah… he didn't send me to the next location the moment I defeated those beasts? Is he trying to be considerate or something?" he muttered through heavy breaths. "I've fought in more than twenty locations without rest. He always sends me to the next place right after I finish the last…"
Tsk.
"That bastard knows I don't want to spend another second here, and he's using that desperation to make me clean up his turf removing a rival devil's minions. Why doesn't the almighty devil do it himself if he's so powerful? Wannabe devil..."
Just as he finished speaking, the stigma on his wrist shimmered.
"Spoke too soon… sigh," he muttered.
In an instant, his body faded from the spot and reappeared in what seemed to be a forest.
But this was no ordinary forest. Instead of lush green trees, the terrain was filled with strange plant-like organisms. Their stems glowed red, and their leaves were large and cusp-like, reminiscent of pitcher plants. Within these cusps, boiling liquid bubbled continuously. Some were bright red with white spots; others were dark and black-speckled.
Iode scanned his surroundings. No lava flowed through the land, but he quickly noticed something odd, the glowing red stems were channeling lava directly from underground. These bizarre plants had somehow adapted to withstand the heat, even using it as a source of nourishment.
"Why was I brought to this place?" he asked, but the answer found him before he could think further.
Tremors shook the earth.
The vibrations intensified, drawing nearer from behind. Iode turned around and his face turned grim.
Towering before him was a colossal entity nearly seventy meters tall. The monster had a grotesquely large head with a single massive eye at the center of its face. Two fangs jutted from its lower jaw, and its ears were pointy. Its skin was pinkish-carnation, rough with calluses and blisters. It wore only a loincloth and gripped a spiked stone club the size of a small house.
Steam puffed from its nostrils as it stared down at the tiny human before it.
"Why is there a mortal walking freely in the underworld?" the monster growled in a thunderous voice.
"It talks?" Iode gulped. An intelligent foe…
"It doesn't matter," the monster continued. I've heard someone has been eliminating my minions. I presume that someone is you. Foolish mortal, you dare challenge me?"
"Your opponent is not one of those mindless boars," it declared, "but I, Cyclops Lesseris the one who shall end your existence. You are an anomaly, and I shall correct that by making you a permanent visitor of the underworld."
"Death is not an option, monster. You're just an overgrown freak, and you're about to get a beating from this 'foolish mortal,'" Iode shot back.
"Did Valier send you here?" the cyclops narrowed its eye. "I can feel his lingering energy inside you. So, he couldn't be bothered to do his own dirty work…? Then allow me to gladly send you to Hades!"
"I don't know who this Hades guy is, but I'm not dying in this wretched place. I'll defeat you and get back to my kids!" Iode shouted.
"Go back home?" the cyclops mocked. "The only one who can do that is the one who brought you here Valier. Well… maybe Hades, Lucifer, or even Persephone could help too. But I'm too angry to take you to any of them."
Iode's eyes widened. So there are others who can send me back…
But there was no time to think. The cyclops raised its club and slammed it toward the ground where Iode stood.
"Die, mortal!"
The club crashed with a mighty roar, throwing up a dust cloud that blanketed the area.
But as the dust began to settle, Iode's voice rang out:
"I'll defeat you… and make you take me to those people you just mentioned."
He stood firm on top of the cyclops' club...
- Writer
