Fril crashed into the wall behind him with a loud BAM; his speed had been too great.

  Debris poured down on him, burying him. Fril's mind raced as he began to free himself from the rubble. Then he heard something. It sounded like the very air itself was being torn apart.

  Fril's eyes widened as he sensed the imminent danger. It was the first time in a long while that he had felt such a threat to his life.

  Till now, the battle between him and the strange mage had only two possible outcomes in his mind: either he would escape or he would kill the man.

  But now he was trapped beneath the stones, his movements severely restricted. Yet, this realization didn't slow him down. On the contrary, it ignited a spark within him—an incredible rush of excitement—the first thrilling fight in years!

  Fril gathered all his strength, his leg muscles tensing, and hurled himself out of the rubble.

  But it still wasn't fast enough. He landed on the ground and stumbled, something that almost never happened to him.

  A burning pain shot through his right hind leg. He hissed and glanced back. Blood was oozing from a deep cut on his leg where the man's sword had struck him!

  He knelt beside the lifeless bodies of the king and his wife, seemingly oblivious to Fril. But before Fril could seize the opportunity, the man rose to his feet, his face twisted in hatred.

  He looked down at the demon. The Polykena's clothing was now in tatters, revealing black fur beneath, like that of a wolf. Sharp teeth gleamed from a long snout.

  The man's eyes widened in shock. He had thought he was fighting a human, but this...

  "What are you?" the man asked, momentarily forgetting his rage.

  Fril's eyes gleamed with a yellow glow. "My secrets are mine, human! So stop your chatter and just die already!"

  The man's anger immediately returned. "You're right. It doesn't matter what the fuck you are. I can find out later. The most important thing is that you're bleeding, which means you...can...DIE!"

  He roared the last word and attacked.

  To Fril's surprise, the man got even faster. He swung his sword upward and brought it down on Fril, slicing through the air with a deafening crack, breaking the sound barrier.

  It was so fast that Fril barely had time to react. But his specialty was speed, and not without reason. He intended to leap forward and strike at the man's legs, but something was off.

  Though he managed to dodge the blow, his jump was misaligned. He landed two meters away from the man. Fril glanced back. Even though his leg had stopped bleeding, he couldn't feel it anymore. His leg was paralyzed!

  The man's sword had torn the ground apart, creating a large crater. The entire fortress trembled from the impact. Fril knew that by now, someone must have noticed that something was wrong. Now, he found himself battling not just for his life but also for time that was slipping away like sand through his claws.

  The man laughed. It was a cold, hate-filled laugh. "Have you finally realized it? This sword is no ordinary weapon. It is indestructible and eternally sharp. But its greatest trait is that even the slightest touch is deadly. To speak the truth, it really speaks to your strength that it only paralyzed your leg. But don't worry, little rat, soon enough, you will die by this blade as well!"

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  "Can you never shut up?" Fril hissed at him.

  The man simply laughed again, that same cruel laughter, and attacked.

  Just as he was about to close the distance to Fril, the demon surged ahead, effortlessly dragging its paralyzed leg behind him as it darted past him with startling speed. As he sped by, he tried to strike at the man's legs, but the man dodged him and swung his sword in the direction of Fril's movement. Fril ducked underneath it, then catapulted himself onto the man's chest and began to tear at his face with his claws.

  The man tried to grab Fril with his free hand, but Fril was too quick. He pushed off from the man and landed on the ceiling. Sprinting away, he could hear the man hot on his heels. "You won't escape me!" the man bellowed.

  He swung his sword, but it struck nothing but air as Fril dashed from the ceiling onto the wall. The blow was so powerful that the ceiling cracked and began to collapse.

  Fissures crisscrossed the stone surface, sending chunks of debris cascading down in a chaotic shower. Fril swiftly zigzagged to evade the falling rubble, his heart racing as he expertly maneuvered around the obstacles. With a determined burst of energy, he dashed along the wall, making his way to the next floor.

  He entered a massive library that resembled a labyrinth, with its towering bookshelves filled to the brim with thousands of books. The ceiling was so high that the dim torchlight barely illuminated it. It arched into a large domed roof, painted with a grand image of the sun.

  The torches were locked behind metal grates, preventing unauthorized access. Fril didn't waste a second to admire the sight; he sprinted ahead. Though the man had been buried under rubble, Fril knew it would only take seconds before he recovered.

  Sure enough, the man burst through the floor and hopped into the library, roaring with rage. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, RAT?"

  Fril didn't look back but ran straight toward the wall. Then, he heard something whistle through the air behind him. In shock, he rolled to the side just as the massive sword flew past him.

  It shattered the library wall, causing part of it to collapse. Fril changed his plan and ran right, slipping between two bookshelves. He leaped onto the top of one, dashing across it. With a loud crash, the man shattered the shelf Fril had just been on. Fril lost his footing and jumped onto another shelf, but the man smashed through that one as well.

  Fril hissed in frustration. He knew he couldn't escape so easily. He changed tactics and attacked the man directly. Despite his injured leg slowing him, he was still faster than the man. He sprang down. The man tried to grab him mid-air, but Fril hurled a thick book at his face.

  Instinctively, the man slapped the book aside. It was barely a second, but it was enough time for Fril to dash past him and tear into his legs once again. The man howled in rage as Fril shredded his flesh.

  The man kicked at Fril. The demon tried to dodge, but he was too slow. The kick sent him flying, crashing into the same wall the man's sword had shattered.

  Fril felt two ribs break. As he struggled to stan,d pain surged through his body. He was actually losing the fight! And that against a mere human!

  Fril thought about retreating, but then he noticed the man's massive sword stuck in the wall nearby. He grasped it with one claw and yanked it free. Though he lacked the strength of his opponent, he was still dozens of times stronger than an ordinary human.

  The man, blood smeared across his face and body, charged at Fril. His rage was unrelenting. His injuries meant nothing to him. The sight of Fril holding his sword only fueled his fury.

  Fril lunged at the man, using the sword's momentum to swing it in a wide arc. The man had no time to dodge. Instead, he struck the flat side of the blade with his fist. Fril stood no chance against his strength. The sword crashed into the ground, breaking through the floor.

  Fril let go of the sword, as he had no chance of stopping it. Instead, he jumped onto the man's chest, but the man anticipated this. He got hold of Fril's paralyzed leg and slammed him into the ground with brutal force. The impact shattered the floor, sending Fril crashing through to the level below, then the one beneath that.

  Fril landed in the dungeon, in a cell. His ears rang, and pain spread through his entire body. He shook it off and leaped to his feet.

  In the corner of the cell, a terrified woman cowered. Without hesitation, Fril killed her. Then, he broke through the cell bars into a long corridor lined with cells, each containing one or two prisoners. He growled in frustration. They all looked at him with shocked expressions. He had to kill them all!

  But before he could act, a deafening crash sounded behind him as the man burst through the floor, his sword in hand. He attacked without a word; his only goal now was to destroy Fril. The demon couldn't understand the human's uncontrollable rage. Yes, he had killed the king and queen, but why fight to the death over it?

  Fril couldn't know that the man was the queen's brother!