POWER: A Tale of Greatness

CHAPTER 17

The old man's hut, went down along with the trees, the earth cracked, dust and rocks were thrown far. The afternoon sun burns the surface drenched with blood and dirt as the turbulence of the wind fluctuates from the mountainous edge of the old man's house down towards the Northeast Tora Tora Forest, close to the Apple Hill, and the farmyards.

The Manticores are all taken down, received fatal blows on their vital parts. In the middle of a clearing, two souls remain standing, silently observing each other.

Devour flexed his claws out, stepping around his opponent, bruised on his face, fractures and concussions, bleeding everywhere, but unbothered, driven by his thirst for blood, he moves around his prey. He extends his arm towards the old man and licks his bloody lips.

Mr. Phillippe remains standing, torso steams continuously and arms raised, legs bent, sharp and steady with his left eye already closed. The old man ignores several stabs, slashes, and fractures he took from earlier. He heaves his chest for air to fill his exhausted lungs.

"Give up, old man."

"I... believe... you should, do that." Mr. Phillippe, bent his legs lower and pulls his elbow backwards. "Hakyushu..."

"Come here old-" Right before they engaged once more, Devour turned his head to his left, sensing people approaching.

"I heard the explosions here." A kid spoke.

"Yes, me too!" The other follows.

"There could be some cool stuff happening here!"

Voices of boys echoed from the forest, which gave terror to the old man's face. The children sprang out of the bush- they are Junnie's gang.

"Look, Junnie, this is a-"

The demon slashed the kid down with his claws, "Oh, savory children. You deserve a place here in my belly! Demon March: Beast..."

"Children, run!" Mr. Phillippe leaped with explosive speed, reaching for the closest kid, "Engine...!"

The demon leaps towards the children, and slashed them with his claws parallel to the ground. "Mauling Saw."

"Arghhhhh!" The old man exclaims after he catches and saves one of them, receiving the slash on his back in return. They crashed down, rolling before hitting a tree.

"Your heroic nature will definitely take you to the depths of the unknown darkness-death!"

The old man stood up and disappeared in thin air, "You have been mistaken, Devour..."

"Where did he go?" The demon lowers his stance and heightens his senses. "No one could ever escape my- what? I cannot detect his scent! I cannot!"

"Hakyushu..."

"Saving someone's life won't take me anywhere... but it would plant the seed of change, to the heart of one's soul..."

"Show yourself, coward!" The demon exclaims as he steps back.

"Ten... Tonne..."

"...later cultivating, a better, brighter, and stronger generation who will defeat the reign of darkness!"

"Quit hiding and face me!" Devour prepared his sharp claws. Spontaneously, the old man appears right in front of the demon, his knees are bent, holding the demon's right arm with his left. "What?!"

"Be gone, demon."

"...Hammer!"

...

Junnie witnessed everything, the brutality his friends took, and the moment he got saved by the man he had humiliated and disrespected a year ago. Moments prior, they were just on their hideout with their friends-in a small, hidden room underneath a large tree in the middle of the forest. This tree house extends from beneath the ground up above the canopy which can be accessed through the use of vines.