Red.
That was all Dan could see as a rough hand strangled his neck. He could feel his oxygen supply being cut off, dwindling with every passing second.
Funny enough, the assailant was a creature made entirely of darkness, seemingly having dispelled its invisibility. At least, from what he could barely see with a single half-open eye while the other was sealed shut.
Was it because of exhaustion or convenience? Who could say.
’A-as I thought... y-you really are a Shadowfiend, aren’t you?’
He would have laughed if the situation weren’t so damnable and messed up. At this rate, his neck would be crushed by the increasing pressure long before he could die from strangulation or lack of oxygen.
But there was nothing he could do.
This bastard had repeatedly proven itself to be the superior fighter between them. Not only were its strength and speed far greater than his own, but its strange, erratic movements made it incredibly difficult to predict. Even worse, its durability and hardness were far greater than he had anticipated. His blade could barely do more than leave behind shallow cuts, and even those seemed to cause the creature little more than a momentary inconvenience.
If one had to consider a nominee for the King of the Jungle, they had to look at the lion.
But if there were a King of the Night, then Dan had no doubt that this bastard would be a strong contender for the throne. It was simply too damn strong. Even so,
’...In the end, I am the one who will be victorious.’
As if on cue, the hands gripping his neck suddenly loosened.
At the same time, the Shadowfiend’s body grew noticeably paler and weaker. Its imposing figure trembled, and the murderous light in its eyes flickered unsteadily.
A smile spread across Dan’s bruised lips. He raised both hands and calmly removed the cold fingers from his neck, almost as if he were prying the hands of an unruly toddler away from him. Then, with a firm shove, he pushed the creature aside.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Dan staggered to his feet and immediately began sucking in deep breaths.
...Haa... Haa... Phew. That was close. I thought I was done for.
He glanced down at the unfortunate creature still trembling on the ground. A sense of relief washed over him as everything went according to plan. Not everything, exactly, but this was a development he didn’t dislike.
"What’s wrong? Feeling a little weak in the knees, huh?"
The Shadowfiend glared at him.
Dan chuckled.
"Well, what can I say? Everything turned out pretty much as expected. Though I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to be such a tough bastard. I would’ve certainly died in your hands if I hadn’t prepared a little something beforehand. So don’t feel too bad, okay?"
The Fiend’s eyes narrowed. It clearly had no idea what he had done. What it knew was that it could not move and the person responsible was standing in front of it. Dan found its confusion amusing.
With a faint grin, he raised the unassuming short black dagger in his hand.
Its blade was dark as night, save for the thin jade-colored edge that gleamed beneath the surrounding flames. He tilted the dagger slightly, allowing the light to run across its edge and calmly said:
"You see this little thing? It’s a little something I conjured from my head. It’s decently sharp, just like the other blades I’ve made so far, but aside from that, there’s nothing particularly special about it." His cruel grin widened with delight as he added. "Well... unless you count the poison within the edge. You ever heard of something called arsenic?"
"..."
"Suppose not. But that’s okay! Allow this old man to educate you!"
"Where I come from, it’s often referred to as the ’Silent Killer.’ Not because it will kill you quickly, but because you usually don’t realize you’ve been poisoned until it’s already too late. First comes weakness. Then nausea, dizziness, and eventually, your body just stops cooperating. Tell me, doesn’t that sound a little familiar?"
Whether or not it understood him, the Shadowfiend attempted to push itself up from the ground using both hands, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Before it could even stabilize itself, its arms buckled under its weight, and it collapsed back onto the ground with a thud.
Observing this, Dan couldn’t help but shake his head at its stubbornness.
"Now, now, aren’t you just being reckless? Trying to fight it will only worsen your situation. Can’t you rest now? Don’t worry, I’m not so great myself, as you CAN see, so I’ll make it as quick as possible, alright?"
He knew these words would enter one ear and exit the other. After all, would a dying person listen to their killer?
With that thought, Dan tightened his grip around the dagger and slowly approached the trembling Shadowfiend. Each step sent a dull ache through his battered body, but he forced himself to keep moving.
He had won.
However, Dan wasn’t foolish enough to lower his guard.
This creature had already demonstrated just how dangerous it could be. If he gave it even the slightest opportunity, it could easily turn the tables on him again.
Noticing his approach, the Shadowfiend attempted to crawl backward. Desperate. Almost pitiful. It didn’t want to die. Perhaps it had reached this point because it had done its best to survive, only to be defeated in the most dishonorable way known to history.
Death by poison. Death by being beaten and stabbed to death. What difference did it make? Murder was murder, regardless of how one did the killing.
Dan couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of irony. Not long ago, he had been the one struggling helplessly beneath its fists.
Now, the roles had been reversed.
"Don’t look at me like that. I told you, didn’t I? I’ll make it quick."
Throughout the ordeal, the Shadowfiend’s crimson eyes remained fixed on him. There was still hatred within them. It was as if it was cursing him in its burdened heart. No, it was declaring that even if it perished here, he, its murderer, would suffer a much crueler fate.
Dan stared at those eyes for a moment, his expression gradually turning solemn.
"You really tried hard."
Life was full of countless hardships. To survive was to suffer, and to die was liberation. Many suffered for simple reasons, while others suffered for complex reasons. Some suffered because they were big, while others suffered because they were small. Some suffered because they were different from others, while some suffered because they wished to be similar to other people. Monsters suffered because they were monsters, and humans suffered because they were ultimately humans.
Form and status were meaningless when it came to misfortune. If he had died here, that would be the end. That could be considered its own form of liberation.
But he was the one who had survived using methods of cruelty and paid the price for it as well, and to continue surviving, he must continue killing anything in his path, whether it was monster, man, or dragon.
In other words, he would continue suffering in this cruel world for as long as he drew breath and his heart continued to beat.
’...Return. I... must return. Back to my world.’
Dan raised the dagger, its surface reflecting the flickering flames.
For some reason, the Shadowfiend stopped moving and simply stared at him with something unreadable in its eyes. He didn’t know whether it had accepted its fate and stopped resisting, or if it had simply exhausted all its strength trying to resist.
But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter much. Nothing did right now.
"...This is the end. Make sure to rest well."
Without further delay, the unassuming dagger descended and pierced directly into the Shadowfiend’s head, the jade-colored edge sinking deep into its skull..
A slight tremor passed through the creature. Then, instantly, it went still.
It was over.
[You have slain a Corrupted Creature: Shadowfiend.]
Standing in a forest engulfed in flames, Dan glanced up at the empty space.
[Your Darkness grows stronger.]
[You have obtained the Relic: Soulless.]