Parallel Vol. 5

Chapter 9: The First Death!

Vwoosh! Sonic zoomed past the final demon village, but was shocked to find the connecting tunnel blocked by a boulder. A pair of four-armed demons glared at him, but Sonic moved faster than they could react and knocked them out. "Hm? These guys are strong." Sonic stared at his aching fingers with intrigue.

Sonic had noticed that the devils and demons appeared stronger the more he advanced. He did not know why, but he was not interested in figuring it out. He simply outran the demons so he could destroy the pillar.

Sonic then reached out and examined the boulder. Fortunately, despite its size, the it was made from stone. Due to the mana density in this area, the stone was incomparably tough compared to the outside world, but it was nothing Sonic could not handle. The kafu pulled his arms back and then unleashed a flurry of rapid punches at the boulder's core.

Crick! Crack! A single punch from Sonic could not affect the boulder, but a thousand in quick succession severely weakened the boulder until it began to crack.

"Stop! You don't know what you're doing!"

Sonic ignored the panicked cries coming from his back as hundreds of chasing demons and devils finally caught up. With one final punch, the boulder shattered, revealing the narrow channel beyond. The kafu did not stand on ceremony, choosing instead to charge through.

Surprisingly, the chasing demons and devils wailed and cried out as they stopped at the entrance, either unable or unwilling to chase Sonic.

Sonic did not have time to ponder their actions, as he walked onto the final platform, where a pillar of light surrounded a large, glowing orb. But, despite seeing his goal, Sonic did not move, and instead, looked at an empty spot a few meters right of the dungeon core. "Your bloodlust is too thick. Come out."

"Ah, it seems I failed after all." An old, raspy voice echoed through the chamber as a round dot appeared. The dot rapidly swirled in place, growing into a shadow that the form of a man. A pair of bat-like wings broke out of the shadow's back as the darkness dispersed to reveal a desiccated old man.

The old man, who had dark, golden eyes and long black hair bore a very sickly appearance. His skin was pale and dry, sticking to his bones like a rag over a radiator. Strangely, despite his appearance, Sonic's furs stood on end when he looked into the man's eyes.

"Turn back, child." The old man slowly walked in front of the dungeon core, blocking it from Sonic's sight. My millennium of exile ends tonight at midnight. You may return and do whatever you wish then."

"Believe me, I would love to." Sonic softly smiled as he got into a stance. "But I am afraid I have no choice. I need to destroy that dungeon core."

The old man's eyes flashed. "How unfortunate. I, too, wish to destroy this core. But I am duty-bound to protect it." The strange man's pupils turned to slits and his canines suddenly grew out as he erupted with a vicious aura.

Sonic's gaze turned grave as he recognized the tell-tale signs. "A vampire? The apex predator race."

"I see my race has not been forgotten." The vicious vampire grinned and politely bowed. "I am Barrius von Balthazar. You may refer to me as Duke Balthazar."

"I am Sonic. Forgive me, Duke, but you need to make way." Sonic took a step forward and then disappeared. Half a second later, a shockwave erupted, proving he just broke the sound barrier!

Within that micro-second, Sonic charged past the Duke. He did not want to waste any time, so he ran straight to the dungeon core to shatter it. However, just as Sonic was about to punch the core, warning bells rang off in his head.