Chapter 3: Power of the moon
The game had barely started and the first player he was to go up against already had 23 kills. The arrow in the man's hands suddenly reshaped into a sword.
Now there were thousands of questions he needed to ask someone or the computer-programmed voice stuck in his head. Not wasting any more time, he charged at the man, with a blade held at either of his sides. The clanging of steel against one another filled the silent air of the forest.
Neither of them had special skills so Max wasn't worried as the fight depended on their strength and capabilities. So far, Max had taken a few hits from the man who used not just his sword but other parts of his body that were useful in a fight. Max himself fared against the man fairly well with the help of techniques he had learnt from other games he had played and with the power of the Lunar blades. His strength and speed had increased beyond his imagination. A hit from the swords sent the man off his feet. Max continued attacking while the man remained on the defensive side which he was barely beginning to handle.
' What monstrous strength is this?!' The man screamed in his head as Max was finally able to make a cut on his arm.
"Who are you?" The man held his bleeding arm in pain.
"Shadow Demon," Max said almost in a whisper, his eyes shining ever brightly with excitement. It felt good to watch someone cower before you in fear, just as he had seen in movies. He was living it right now!
The sound of steel driving through flesh emerged first followed by a scream before a quick silence surfaced.
[ 1/10 Players defeated ]
[ Defeat 9 more players before the game duration ends ]
[ Game duration: 2:40:15 ]
He panted heavily as his eyes lingered on the lifeless man on the ground whose body shrunk to crystal-like particles which soon dispersed into the air.
Once again, he began making his way out of the seemingly endless forest which he had thought would soon come to its end. There were several questions he needed to get answers to. He had a very strong feeling that there was something off about the game but then, it had clearly stated that he had yet to unlock any skill.
' Hey, computer! I would like to know more about the game,' He said in his thoughts.
[ Harbingers Of Death: A multiplayer visual reality game created by the anonymous lord of the game verse which requires a last man standing. A survival of the fittest battle royale which proves the weak does not have a stay in the world. ]
Despite the information he had just been given, he wasn't satisfied but then, it was a game so why bother about such petty stuff? As time went by, he came across other players.
[ 2/10 Players defeated ]
[ 5/10 Players defeated ]
[ 7/10 Players defeated ]
[ 9/10 Players defeated ]
Luckily, so far he had come across players who were far weaker than his first opponent. The strongest of them had 5 kills.
[ 1 player left ]
[ Game duration : 1: 30: 20 ]
It wasn't long before he came across another player. The last player he would need to defeat before he would be granted access to the world ranking.
' How hard can it be,' He thought to himself.
Player Name : [ Gorgon ]
Rank : [ Mortal being/Bot ]
[ No. 5211 ]
Number of kills : [ 41 ]
Special skills : [ Summoner of the flame demon. Next skill to be unlocked over the next 5 kills ]
[ Bots: Nonhuman players specifically designed to become challenges for human players. ]
Max's jaw dropped at the sight of what was displayed before his eyes. His sweaty palms firmly held his swords as if his life depended on them, which it did.
A smirk immediately played on his opponent's lips as soon as he saw him. The shirtless man with strange tattoos which covered half of his face down to the other half of his waist gave off creepy vibes. In his hand was a huge sword that could push Max into the ground with just a hit.
"Apollyon! I summon thee for he whom we have waited has arrived!"
As these words escaped the man's mouth, his feet slowly left the ground and he began to levitate. His eyes soon turned into one of scorching flames which soon spread throughout his body.
Max felt his knees weaken at the sight of such an immense show of power. The so-called bot had just 41 kills and was already displaying such superiority, how strong would someone of a much higher ranking be?
Two giant blood-red horns sprouted on his bald head. His body glowed like a volcano during its eruption. The tattoos covering half of his body lit up in the colour of flames.
His body had taken up a rapid increase in size, enlarging his muscles. Long black nails grew forth from his fingers and huge fangs elongated from behind his upper lip. Thick gold bangles locked themselves on his arms and ankles making him look like an ancient god of some sort.
The huge sword in his hand had grown twice its size and had turned blood red, matching the colour of his skin after his transformation except for the golden colour of the hilt.
[ Name: Apollyon ]
[ Rank: Grade 1 third class demon ]
[ Flame demon of the game verse ]
Immediately the demon's transformation was complete, he drove the tip of his sword into the ground. Cracks lit with lava quickly made their way towards Max and the ground opened up releasing an enormous burst of lava.
Max was quick to move backwards but the force at which the lava had risen out from the ground threw him backwards.
"This reign has to come to an end!" A mixture of two voices, one much deeper than the other came from the demon as he jumped across the air towards Max, with his great sword lifted high above his head.
"Die! For there is no place for this reign any longer! This reign has to come to an end!"
The more the demon kept on repeating the phrase, ' This reign has to come to an end,' Max got all the more confused. The demon seemed so eager to eliminate him as if he had waited for so long to do so. Besides, what reign was it continuously speaking about that needed to come to an end and what had that got to do with his elimination?
The force at which the great sword was brought against his Lunar blades pushed him backwards but he was able to keep his balance this time as his feet dragged against the ground.
[ Game duration: 1:15:12 ]
[ Once the game round is over and the quest has not been completed, all achievements will be lost].
' Shit! Time is running out and there are no chances of me defeating this demon anytime soon,' He thought.
"Die!"
The word came out of the demon's mouth followed by lava that headed in Max's direction. The boy immediately dodged the attack and rolled to where the demon stood. He aimed at his legs and quickly sliced through with the help of the blade in his right hand.
The attack was so fast that the demon didn't see it coming. His body except for his legs fell to the ground.
[ Apollyon: Flame demon of the game verse. Abilities attributing to fire. Continuous regeneration at every strike. Death occurs only when the core is harmed. ]
#~& Scanning for core location &~#
#~& ...Core located... &~#
[ Core location: At the forehead ].
As soon as Max received this information, the demon was back up on his feet, this time with a more intimidating aura.
"Aim for its forehead," Max repeatedly muttered as he made his way towards the demon. He lifted himself in the air and held out both swords with the intent to sink them into the demon's forehead. An unexpected kick was launched into his side as if a footballer had aggressively shot a football intending to score a goal that had been difficult for him since the beginning of a match. Max could feel the pressure of the wind all over his body as he crashed forcefully into a tree.
He coughed up blood as he managed to sit up against the tree. He looked at the red liquid that had got on his palm as he coughed. Why did everything feel and look so real? His insides hurt badly as if it was real. How could the game's sensitivity match so well with the human body's reaction to pain in real life?
The sound of the demon's footsteps interrupted his thoughts and caused him to lift his head.
"It is almost done. How long I have waited for this day to come! Today shall mark the dawn of a new era," The demon's mixed voice rang in Max's ears. "How weak and pathetic you are! A lot worse than I expected."
"Who are you? Why do you keep on speaking in parables? What the heck is this? Why does everything feel so real? This is supposed to be a damn game!" Max didn't know when he had let his thoughts out.
The demon's expression turned into one of amusement.
"A game? How funny!"
He paused and smiled. "Let me educate you before I present your head before this world."
"This is not just a game. It is another world entirely."
[ Game duration: 00:50:10 ]
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone