The man kept killing.
Again and again and again.
Blood sprayed like water from a broken pipe. Bones cracked under invisible pressure. Heads exploded. Limbs flew. The smell of death thickened with every passing second.
Ran couldn't move.
He watched.
Helpless.
The grotesque man stepped through the chaos, humming a happy tune. His feet squished into torn bodies, his laughter echoing through the now-red forest.
He bent down, scooped a handful of blood from a fallen mercenary, and drank it.
Smacked his lips.
"Hmm…"
He said
He swirled the blood in his mouth like wine.
Some made him gag.
Some made him shiver with pleasure.
"Too sour. Too weak. Ah, this one's… not bad."
He said
Then his gaze turned.
Two figures frozen, paralyzed not by magic, but by fear.
Kelt and Geld.
Both were shaking uncontrollably.
Both had pissed themselves.
Tears ran down their faces.
The grotesque man walked over, grinning like a child in a toy shop.
He looked down at the two brothers and clapped his hands slowly.
"Let's play a game."
He said.
Kelt whimpered.
Geld shook his head, mouthing no over and over.
The man's smile stretched unnaturally wide.
"A survival game. You two will fight. Right here. Right now."
They stared at him in disbelief.
"I want one of your intestines. Just one. Whoever gives me one, and if I find it delicious, I'll let the winner go free."
Silence.
The color drained from their faces.
They didn't speak, but Ran saw it in their eyes.
Despair.
The grotesque man snapped his fingers, and the invisible chains broke.
Both brothers collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
But they didn't run.
They couldn't.
Kelt looked at Geld.
Geld looked back.
They had been together since childhood.
They had survived wars, monsters, betrayals—side by side.
Kelt's lip trembled.
He spoke first, voice shaking.
"I love you, brother… You were always there for me… always protected me…"
Geld's eyes widened.
"Kelt… what are you…"
"Thank you."
The words were full of sincerity.
Geld barely had time to react.
Kelt lunged.
His sword aimed for Geld's throat.
But Geld moved just in time.
The blade scraped his neck, drawing blood but missing the artery.
"Kelt?!"
He screamed.
"You're going to kill me?!"
"I have to! I want to live!"
Kelt screamed back.
Tears streamed down his face.
The two clashed—sword against axe.
Metal rang out. Sparks flew.
Their strikes were brutal. Desperate.
They weren't trying to win with style.
They were trying to survive.
Boom.
Clang.
Smash.
Blood was spilled on both sides.
Geld's axe smashed into Kelt's ribs.
Kelt's blade slashed Geld's arm.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Their breaths were ragged.
Their eyes wild.
Their brotherhood shattered.
Then, with a roar, Geld knocked Kelt down and slashed his axe into his gut.
He stopped.
Panting.
Shaking.
Kelt lay still.
Blood pooled under him.
But then—his eyes opened.
His mouth moved.
"Thank you… for always crying when I got hurt…"
Kelt said.
"What?"
Kelt's hand moved fast.
His blade sliced upward.
Right into Geld's neck.
A fountain of blood sprayed out.
Geld gurgled.
His body twitched.
And then he fell.
Dead.
Kelt sobbed.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Then he gritted his teeth and shoved his hands into his brother's stomach.
Pulled out intestines.
Chunks of blood and meat fell with sickening splats.
Ran turned away, stomach churning.
Kelt held the long, coiled intestine with trembling hands, bile rising in his throat.
He walked over to the grotesque man, bowed, and offered it to him like a sacred gift.
The man clapped like a child receiving candy.
He took it eagerly.
Wrapped it around his hand.
And slurped it.
Like noodles.
"Ahhhhh…"
He chewed.
And chewed.
The sound was loud.
Crunchy.
Wet.
Kelt puked beside him.
Even Ran, still frozen in fear, was disgusted.
The man finally stopped eating.
Wiped his lips.
And smiled.
"Well…"
Kelt looked up, hopeful.
His hands still bloody.
"You said… I could live…"
The grotesque man tilted his head.
"I said if it was delicious."
Kelt's eyes widened.
"What…?"
He whispered.
"It was just alright."
The next moment
Slash.
Kelt's head fell from his shoulders.
His body stood for a second longer before collapsing.
Blood sprayed into the sky like a fountain.
The man kicked the head away, whistling.
Then, slowly… ever so slowly… he turned to Ran.
Ran's breath caught.
The grotesque man smiled.
Wider than before.
He raised his hand in a lazy wave.
"Now… what to do with you?"
Ran couldn't even scream.
His entire body trembled.
His mind raced.
'No. No. No. I can't die. Not here. Not like this.'