- Inside the Burning Tower -

  Another thunderous explosion ripped through the blazing tower, shaking it to its crumbling foundation. Flames roared through the corridors, consuming everything in their path. The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning flesh and charred wood, the heat suffocating as molten droplets rained from the collapsing ceiling. Smoke billowed through the halls, mixing with the blood that pooled beneath the carnage.

  The sound of the bell tolled frantically above the chaos. A lone knight clung to the rope, his hands trembling as he rang out a desperate rhythm. Tears streamed down his soot-streaked face, his voice breaking into hysterical sobs.

  “God! Devil! Anyone!” he screamed, his voice cracking. “Please! Save me! I don’t want to die!”

  Below him, the blood-soaked floor had become a grotesque sea. The bodies of knights lay twisted and broken, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the inferno. Blood oozed from every corpse, forming a crimson tide that swirled with the flames’ reflection. Some knights, too weak or injured to stand, lay drowning in the gore of their comrades, their gurgling cries lost amid the chaos.

  A knight sprawled amidst a heap of corpses, his torso split wide open, intestines spilling into the growing pool. He whimpered pitifully, his hands clutching at the wound as he choked out his final breaths. Nearby, another knight dragged himself forward, his armor slick with blood. Half his body was gone, his entrails trailing behind him like a grotesque tail. He clawed desperately at the floor, leaving streaks of crimson as he sobbed incoherently.

  “Help me! Mama, please! Mama! I don’t want to die here!” he cried, his voice raw and childlike.

  A horrific scream echoed down the corridor, sharp and piercing. Flames framed Axel as he loomed over a cowering knight, his monstrous form bathed in blood and fire. His glowing eyes burned with unrelenting fury, and his laughter reverberated through the tower—low, guttural, and unhinged.

  “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

  The knight flailed helplessly as Axel grabbed him by the torso, lifting him up, his claws piercing through the steel like it was paper. Blood spurted from the gaps in his armor as the man screamed, his body convulsing violently.

  “NO! NOOOO! GET AWAY FROM ME!” the knight shrieked, his voice cracking as he thrashed against Axel’s grip.

  Axel’s grin widened, his jagged teeth glinting in the inferno’s light. The knight’s armor began to buckle and groan, the metal bending under Axel’s monstrous strength. Blood gushed from the seams as bones cracked, one by one. The knight’s screams turned to wet gurgles as his body twitched uncontrollably, his eyes rolling back into his head.

  Splat!

  With a sickening crunch, Axel ripped the knight in two, a fountain of blood and viscera splattering across the walls and ceiling. He tilted his head back, quenching the fire that consumed him as the crimson rain cascaded over him, drenching his face and cloak. He let out an exhilarated roar, his blood-stained tongue licking his lips as he gulped down the fresh, warm fluid.

  The dismembered knight’s organs slipped from Axel’s hands, his intestines draping over his shoulders like a grotesque necklace. He stood amidst the carnage, his chest rising and falling as blood dripped from every inch of his body. The curse had consumed him fully, transforming him into a harbinger of death and destruction.

  A lone knight, trembling uncontrollably, stumbled backward against the wall. His bladder emptied, the liquid mixing with the crimson pool at his feet as he sobbed uncontrollably. “No… no… he’s not human… this can’t be real…”

  Other knights screamed hysterically, some dropping their weapons and falling to their knees. “God, forgive us! Please! Spare us!” one cried, his hands clasped in prayer. Another knight clawed at the walls, tears streaming down his face as he babbled incoherently.

  “Run! RUN!” one of the few remaining knights shouted, his voice breaking with terror as he sprinted through the gore-soaked corridors.

  But there was no escape.

  Boom!

  A deafening explosion tore through the tower, shaking the crumbling structure violently. Axel turned toward the windows, his glowing eyes narrowing as he saw cannonballs streaking through the stormy night. They whistled briefly before slamming into the tower with devastating force, sending plumes of fire and stone erupting outward.

  The tower groaned ominously, its weakened structure beginning to lean precariously. Knights slipped and fell into the sea of blood, their screams drowning in the cacophony of destruction. Some were crushed beneath the collapsing beams, others pulled into the crimson tide as they struggled to crawl to safety.

  Axel stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the chaos outside. For a fleeting moment, he tilted his head, as if pondering the knights’ willingness to sacrifice their own men. But the thought vanished as the floor beneath him buckled.

  The sound of splintering wood and cracking stone filled the air as the tower began to collapse. Axel’s bloodied boots slid across the floor as the entire structure tilted violently to one side. Knights screamed as they were dragged into the mound of corpses, their cries silenced as the crimson sea swallowed them whole.

  With a final, deafening crack, the tower snapped in two. The upper half plunged into the ravine below, its flames extinguished as it disappeared into the abyss. Smoke, fire, and blood followed, vanishing into the darkness.

  Axel, buried beneath the corpses, let out a guttural growl. The massacre was far from over.

  “Fire!”

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The cannons thundered, their fiery blasts tearing through the stormy night. Lightning arced across the sky, illuminating the chaos with blinding flashes. Rain lashed against the castle walls, pooling at the feet of the cannon crews as they worked tirelessly, their movements precise and mechanical.

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  Volley after volley struck the burning tower, sending chunks of stone and flaming debris cascading into the ravine below. The flames roared defiantly, clawing at the storm clouds as if trying to consume the heavens. Smoke billowed upward in thick, black plumes, swirling in the wind like a malevolent spirit.

  “Keep firing!” a commander shouted, his voice strained but resolute. “Bring that monster down!”

  Another barrage erupted, the cannonballs tearing through what little remained of the tower’s structure. The foundation groaned, the sound resonating like the final breath of a dying giant. With a deafening crack, the tower tipped, its frame splintering as it began its slow descent into the abyss. Flames flickered and vanished as the inferno disappeared into the darkness below.

  For a moment, the storm itself seemed to pause, as if the world held its breath. The knights stood silent, rain streaming down their faces, watching the destruction with wide eyes and heavy breaths.

  “It’s over,” one knight finally muttered, his voice shaky with relief. “The beast is dead.”

  A ripple of laughter spread through the ranks, hesitant at first but quickly growing.

  “Stupid monster,” another chuckled, leaning on his sword. “Falling for a trap like that. We’ll finally get some rest.”

  The tension broke. Some knights clapped each other on the back, others allowed themselves to collapse where they stood. The cannons fell silent, and the crews began to pack up, their grim task complete. The storm raged on, but it felt distant now, a muted backdrop to their relief.

  Boom!

  A thunderous sound erupted, shaking the castle once more. The knights froze, their laughter dying instantly. Heads whipped toward the windows, their gazes scanning the stormy night for the source of the explosion.

  “Where did that come from?” someone asked, their voice tinged with unease.

  They pressed closer to the rain-streaked windows, peering into the pitch darkness. The heavy downpour obscured their view, the world outside a swirling chaos of water and wind. Yet nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  Until one knight gasped sharply, stumbling back. His face drained of all color, his eyes wide with terror.

  “What’s wrong?” another demanded, rushing to his side. But the man didn’t speak. His trembling arm rose slowly, his finger pointing toward the stormy sky.

  The others followed his gaze, squinting into the great beyond. They stared intently, their breaths held, but the night revealed nothing—only the endless storm and the relentless rain.

  Lightning struck.

  For a split second, the world was illuminated. The moon was gone, blotted out by thick, ominous clouds. Rain fell in torrential sheets, the winds tearing through the landscape with violent force. And there, amidst the chaos, they saw it.

  Something moved.

  A black mass ascended above the clouds, its form shrouded in shadows yet unmistakably massive. Its shape was grotesque, undefined, shifting like a living nightmare. The lightning faded, plunging the world back into darkness, but the image lingered in their minds, searing itself into their memories.

  “Did you see that?” one knight whispered, his voice shaking.

  Before anyone could answer, another lightning strike lit up the sky. The mass had grown closer. This time, they could see it descending rapidly, tearing through the storm with terrifying speed.

  “It’s coming!” someone screamed, their voice breaking.

  Panic erupted. The knights scrambled away from the windows, their cries drowned by the storm’s howl. They ran blindly through the corridors, their armor clanging as they shouted orders that no one followed.

  Boom.

  The impact was cataclysmic, shaking the castle to its core. Stone cracked and splintered, the floor beneath their feet lurching violently. A deafening silence followed, broken only by the howling wind and the patter of rain seeping through the shattered windows.

  From the smoke and rubble, Axel emerged.

  His form was grotesque, his blood-red eyes burning like twin embers in the darkness. Blood dripped from his charred flesh, pooling at his feet and mixing with the rainwater. His jagged teeth glinted as he exhaled, each guttural breath a sound of pure malice.

  The knights stood rooted in place, their weapons trembling in their hands. One dropped his sword with a loud clang, the sound echoing like a death knell.

  Axel’s lips curled into a bloodied grin. He raised his clawed hand slowly, deliberately, and the air around him seemed to darken.

  The shadows beneath him began to move.

  They writhed and twisted, rising from the floor like a living plague. Tendrils of darkness stretched outward, growing into monstrous claws and gnarled arms that scraped against the stone walls. Faces emerged from the shadows—twisted, hollow, their mouths frozen in silent screams. The tendrils towered above the knights, their grotesque forms swaying menacingly, poised to strike.

  The knights’ terror broke. One stumbled backward, falling to the floor and clutching at his chest. “No… no… this can’t be real…”

  Another knight dropped to his knees, his voice trembling as he whispered a frantic prayer. “God save us… please…”

  Axel took a step forward, the shadows following like loyal beasts. The tendrils pulsed and writhed, their grotesque forms casting monstrous silhouettes across the walls. The knights backed away, their faces pale as realization dawned on them.

  They were already dead.

  Axel’s blood-red gaze swept over the room, his monstrous form radiating an aura of death and despair. The storm outside raged on, lightning flashing through the shattered windows, but the true terror was within.

  This was no man… Not even a creature… This was Death itself…

  Yokubo sat in the grand audience chamber, the flickering torchlight casting jagged shadows across the walls. The floor trembled beneath him as distant explosions echoed through the castle, rain hammering relentlessly on the roof. Cries of terror seeped through the thick walls—desperate, agonized screams punctuated by the wet thuds of bodies falling and the guttural roar of something monstrous.

  He remained still, unbothered, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrests of his ornate chair. His cold eyes stayed fixed on the double doors at the far end of the room, the faint smirk on his lips never wavering.

  Another explosion rattled the chamber, the sound of splintering wood and crashing stone shaking the door on its iron hinges. The screams grew louder, closer, mingled with frantic shouts:

  “Fall back! It’s a monster—”

  “He’s coming! RUN!”

  And then, silence.

  Only the steady rhythm of the rain and the faint scrape of something heavy being dragged along the stone floor remained. The sound grew louder, each deliberate step reverberating through the chamber.

  Yokubo leaned forward, clasping his hands as his smirk widened. The torchlight flickered, shadows thickening and crawling across the room like living things.

  The footsteps stopped beyond the door. For a moment, there was only stillness.

  “Finally,” Yokubo murmured, his voice steady, almost amused.

  The doors groaned, trembling under an unseen force as the oppressive weight of the approaching presence filled the chamber. Yokubo’s calm remained unshaken. He had waited, and now, the Reaper had come.