Leaping from the shadows, the nightcrawler once again shot its long claws towards the boy's head.
THUD!
Its claws stabbed into the stone pillar behind the boy as he narrowly evaded the attack, creating a distance between him and the monster before it faded into the shadows.
The boy darted his eyes around him as he searched for the lurking nightcrawler, yet was unable to locate the monster.
"Under you!", the young girl called out to the boy before he leaped into the air, narrowly escaping the nightcrawler's razor-sharp teeth from underneath him.
Realising that he wouldn't be able to see the nightcrawler as it lurked in the shadows, the boy's mind raced with plans on how he could defeat it as he landed on the ground.
"Help!", the young girl called out as she dashed towards the boy, fear and panic visible in her every motion.
As the boy shifted his attention toward the young girl running at him, he noticed the massive claws hovering only inches behind her head.
In an instant, he disappeared before reappearing behind the girl.
Landing a devastating kick to the nightcrawler's head, sending it flying into a stone pillar.
THUD
But as the dust settled, the nightcrawler had disappeared, lurking in the shadows once again.
"Tch.", said the boy as he noticed that the nightcrawler had vanished once again.
"Do you know where it is?"
"Yes. It's circling us right now.", answered the girl.
"Alright. Stay next to me and tell me where it's coming from."
The girl nodded in response as she turned, her back facing the boy's back.
The two children waited for the nightcrawler to make its move, yet it never attacked them.
Instead, it only continued to lurk around them, waiting for an opportunity to take down one of them.
"We should try to get out of here. The dome is shrinking.", said the girl.
"You are right.", said the boy as the two children headed towards the energy dome's weak point.
'204 seconds.'
As the two children attempted to escape, the nightcrawler began its pursuit, lunging at the girl and aiming its claws for her heart.
"Left!"
In a swift motion, the boy pulled the girl out of the way of the nightcrawler's claws before rotating into a spin hook kick straight to the monster's head, sending it further away from them.
But despite taking on a full force kick from the boy, the nightcrawler steadily stood on its hind legs as it readily approached them.
Seemingly unaffected by the boy's attack.
"Run."
The girl immediately sprang into a dash at the boy's words, heading towards the exit.
"So you have finally stopped hiding around, you pest.", said the boy as he observed the approaching monster.
WHOOSH
In an instant, the monster disappeared from the boy's sight, moving significantly faster than before as it appeared at his side, aiming for his injured arm.
The boy leaped back, narrowly evading the attack as the nightcrawler vanished from his sight once again before reappearing behind him as he hovered in the air.
SWOOSH
The monster shot its long arm towards the boy, stabbing his left shoulder with its long claws before he could react.
AARGH!
The boy let out a loud groan of pain as his shoulders flailed at his sides, both injured from the nightcrawler's attacks.
Without wasting a moment, the nightcrawler once again leaped towards the boy, its large jaw wide open as it aimed for the boy's neck.
The boy narrowly evaded the monster's razor-sharp teeth as he staggered away from the monster, barely maintaining his balance.
'15 seconds.'
Fifteen seconds.
The boy needed to survive the nightcrawler's attacks for fifteen seconds until the energy dome collapsed.
…
In a familiar, dimly lit room, two figures observed the situation inside the energy dome through a hovering holographic screen.
Their eyes locked on the figure of a black-haired boy as he desperately evaded the nightcrawler's onslaught of attacks.
The boy's feat and sudden change in demeanour were beyond shocking, yet what truly caught their attention was the mark on his forehead.
CRACK
A loud crack echoed through the holographic screen before the energy dome finally shattered, leaving only the unconscious boy in an enormous, bright colosseum.
"The Deity of Death.", said Ludwig as he adjusted his glasses, his eyes never leaving the holographic screen.
"It seems to be a temporary possession.", said Ghost as he observed the mark slowly fade from the boy's face.
"Well, this just got more interesting.", Another voice rang out from behind them, its tone sweet and melodic, as the speaker slowly approached the holographic screen.
A sly smile was plastered on her face, as she observed the unconscious Luciel.
"Yum~.", said the figure as she licked her lips.