Trigger Warning: Strong Violence
Chapter 1: Your Blood Paints The Floor

Boom!

The deafening roar of thunder tore through the silence lingering in the air. Thick gray clouds consumed the night sky while water droplets descended from the heavens, clashing against the cobblestone path leading up to a worn down tan-colored shack with all of its windows bashed in, littering the ground with glass shards.

Fifty people wearing dark blue cloaks with a giant golden key embroidered on the back of the fabric emerged from the shadows. With careful footsteps, they approached the wrecked shack.

"Are you sure this is the place, Blackthorn, sir?" Margaret whispered to the man to her left with raised eyebrows. "This place just seems like a dump for his luxurious tastes," the woman inquired, unsure if their target was even in this location.

"Trust me, it's the place, Margaret. Not to worry," Blackthorn assured with a confident look in his light green eyes. He quickened up his pace and was the first to place one foot on the old steps leading up to the run-down shack.

"Listen up, everyone!" Blackthorn shouted while looking over his shoulder.

"This might look like a run-down shack, but it'll be a different story once we're inside. It's his domain, after all," Blackthorn proclaimed with his head held high. He was confident that this group of exorcists would be able to take him down.

The Demon King.

A being born out of malevolent energy. Bathed in the blood of exorcists and innocent humans alike. The Demon King's wish was to have the entire world in the palm of his hand. A trail of scarlet and corpses decorated his path of destruction as he reached out for his desires.

"Don't let your guard down! We can't give him any openings!" Blackthorn cautioned before he opened the door of the shack and stepped inside.

Blackthorn couldn't find it in himself to move an inch. His eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth hung slightly open, not being able to believe the sight before him.

The room was far too enormous to fit inside the shack they had seen before. Towering ivory pillars adorned with intricate golden spiral etchings decorated the edges of the room. The man's brown eyes followed the lavish silver carpet leading up to a magnificent ornate throne bathed in gold at the end of the room.

A man with porcelain locks slouched in it, his legs draped over the armrest on the right. His facial features were hidden behind a haunting skull mask that adorned his entire face.

"My, I didn't think I was getting a surprise party today," The Demon King remarked with amusement as he lazily pushed himself off his throne. The long black trench coat he was wearing gently swayed with each step he took. Once he stopped, his piercing crimson eyes flickered from the left and then to the right when he saw all fifty exorcists surround him in a circular formation.

"Now!" Blackthorn shouted, his hands extended outward. A soft purple glow emitted from his palms. The light gradually morphed into a rope that leaped forward. It coiled around The Demon King's body before tightening.

Soon, more exorcists joined in, increasing the strength of the rope, causing it to tighten harshly, keeping The Demon King bound in place.

"Seems like you all learned some new party tricks," The Demon King remarked as he glanced down at the rope that was quickly constricting around his body, causing sharp pain to crawl through every muscle.

"Don't leave him any openings to attack!" Blackthorn roared, causing two exorcists to rush toward The Demon King.

Both exorcists simultaneously pulled out silver-colored keys from the inside pockets of their cloaks. Each key was soon surrounded by a blinding light, causing the keys to change into silver-colored swords with a mesmerizing sapphire gem nestled in the center of the silver handle.

They raised their swords high and swung them toward The Demon King's neck.

"You must be incredibly stupid to think that would actually work," The Demon King said with a lopsided grin behind his mask. He threw himself backward, avoiding the blades of the swords from piercing through his throat.

"How is he moving?! The binding spell should've kept him in place," A man reported in a panicked voice, fear starting to cloud his vision.

"Stay strong; we got him exactly where we want him," Blackthorn said. He swiftly held out his key, which morphed into a sniper. He took in a deep breath, steadying his aim before he pulled the trigger. A brightly colored blue bullet whizzed through the air and tore through The Demon King's upper thigh.

Plip, plop, plip, plop!

The sound of blood falling onto the floor reached The Demon King's eardrums. A hiss of pain escaped his throat when the agonizing burning sensation from where the bullet entered traveled up his body. He quickly rolled over to his left to narrowly avoid an electric strike cast by an exorcist. The strike scorched the piece of white flooring it licked, turning it charcoal black.

Seeing an opening, a man charged forward with a sword in hand. He leaped through the air and, with all his might, slashed his sword downward to deal the finishing blow.

Zap!

A wave of terror washed over the man's face.

Within a split second, The Demon King struggled against the binding before breaking out of it, causing purple electricity to scatter across the floor. Without hesitation, The Demon King stopped the blade with just his red right-gloved hand, without the metal even scraping his skin.

"I thought it would be fun to play along," The Demon King said in a low, menacing tone. Just his tone alone was enough to send shivers down the man's spine, filling his senses with an overwhelming amount of dread.

"But, I'm done playing these damn games with you," The Demon King declared coldly with a murderous look crawling around in his eyes.

The Demon King soon swung his arm downward, causing the man to slam into the ground. Pieces of the floor crumpled and jumped upward from the force of the impact. A pained groan escaped the man before The Demon King tossed him into a nearby wall.

The man was thrown with such force that the wall of the building caved in, sending numerous chunks of the sturdy ivory wall scattering all over the floor.

"Don't let up!" Blackthorn roared with determination dripping from his tone.

All of the exorcists present in the room fixed their gaze on The Demon King and rushed toward him with a confident glint in their eyes.

One exorcist swiftly pulled out a gold key, and within a matter of seconds, a bright white light enveloped it, causing the key to transform into six daggers nuzzled between each of their fingers in each of their hands. The exorcist took a step back and reeled their arm back before throwing all twelve daggers at him.

Other exorcists joined in on the attack; they unleashed a barrage of various other magic-fueled attacks toward The Demon King. A gasp left their lips while their eyes widened in disbelief. The Demon King was there before their very eyes for a split second before he vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

"See, this is the problem," The Demon King remarked as his fingertips danced along the spine of an exorcist who he reappeared behind. Fear washed over the man's face. The air in his throat was getting caught by the anxiety that flooded his senses.

A pained howl left the man's throat when The Demon King's hand tore right through his chest from behind. "It's just that you're all too damn confidant," he said darkly. His lips curved into a twisted, entertained smile behind his mask.

"Quick!---," one man quickly shouted but was silenced the moment he spoke those words as a shadow-like claw tore through his neck, killing him instantly.

Blackthorn took a panicked gulp as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. The shadow retracted back to The Demon King's left hand, painting his palm in scarlet.

"H-he...tore through him like paper..." Margaret's lower lip trembled as she choked out the words. Her entire body shook like a leaf in the breeze.

Margaret's chest rose and fell with each shaky breath she took in. Her brown eyes nervously glanced around the room. The once ivory color was marred with deep crimson that was gradually spreading around the room with each exorcist who fell before The Demon King.

Blackthorn swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat due to the fear flowing through his insides. "No matter what. The Demon King must die here," Blackthorn screamed through clenched teeth. His eyes burned with a raging fury.

"Oh~?" The Demon King said after hearing what Blackthorn had said. He swiftly pushed his body backward, performing a graceful backflip to skillfully evade an exorcist's fire blast attack.

"Are you so sure about that? There aren't many of you left," The Demon King said with a mocking tone. Entertainment beamed in his eyes, and his desire to make them fail in their mission overtook his senses.

"But don't worry. I'll play with you longer until you drop dead," The Demon King said, letting out a twisted giggle.