The Story of Aria and the Slayer

Chapter 2

"Well, well, weren't you hard to find?"

He knew. He already knew that Aria was the irregular he was looking for. Felt her presence as she had done with him. There was no longer a point in hiding who she was.

So she tried to stand tall, act the opposite of what she was feeling. Tried to act as though she was not affected by the aura surrounding the Slayer. That she was not affected by the unmistakable and familiar features of the monster and king of her floor.

He took a single step forward and she could see it in his eyes, on his face that could be compared with the snow crunching beneath his feet. Victory. A sign that he knew that he would be winning that battle. That they both knew the outcome of the inevitable duel between them.

The monster tilted his head slightly at her silence and her attention was brought to the blood red streaks by his eyes. Something she had seen before on the faces of his followers when she had once gone out of her village with her parents. Something she'd seen in her past life in one of the countries she'd grown to despise.

The thought brought her back to her parents, to their fate. If the Slayer already stood in front of her, that would mean...

Aria's stare darted to the sword the monster held in his left hand. To the crimson liquid dripping down it. And she felt the anger rise in her. It was strong enough to drown out any other emotions. Including the fear she had felt just seconds ago. Including the thoughts that tried to scream at her that this was the reason she could not master the technique she had been practicing for weeks, months. That she was still unable to control her emotions.

Noticing what she had been glaring at, the monster smiled. "Ah, right. I had the pleasure of ... speaking to your parents not too long ago." He watched as she trembled in rage, then added, "No need to worry. I gave them a rather quick death."

Aria was so blinded by her emotions that she couldn't speak. Couldn't formulate the words inside her head so that they would come out in actual sentences.

The FUG Slayer's next words prevented her from saying something that she probably would've regretted. "Since I assume we both know who would win in a fight, I'll cut you a deal." That had been enough to snap her out of whatever trance she'd been in.

"What?" she breathed out, anger and confusion were clear in the response.

"Obviously, we're going to have a duel. But since we both know the outcome of a fight where we were both at full strength, I'll try to hold back a little." The blood on his sword had completely trickled off the blade, leaving the liquid stained in the snow. "All you have to do in return is give it your all to defeat me. If I still win then I'd of course get your soul, and hopefully a battle more interesting than my recent ones with rankers."

"And if I win?" Even if she managed to knock him off his feet, and technically speaking win, there was no way of telling if she'd even be able to kill him with the power she'd have left after a fight.

The demon shrugged as he replied, "Well then I suppose you get to avenge your parents and keep your life. Or if you're for whatever reason hesitant or unable to finish me off, you get the chance to run before I decide to actually try my best to kill you."

He was cocky. So damn cocky. But of course he was. Aria, an unprofessionally trained wave controller against a monster from the Arie family who'd been training and gaining strength from millions, or perhaps even billions of souls for quite some time. Even with the offer he gave her, the odds were still in his favour. It was highly unlikely that she would win.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. In that moment, her desire was to avenge her parents and everyone who's souls had been used to make the monster before her stronger. And she would do everything she could to fulfill that desire. She needed to take him down then and there.