**Tch.**
Astra clicked his tongue in irritation as he strode forward, pushing through the relentless barrage of rocks and debris. His human skin was sliced open by the sharp edges, thin trails of blood tracing down his body as his magical shield shattered under the overwhelming pressure.
The closer he got, the greater the force pressing down on him became. It was as if an invisible weight sought to crush him, making it impossible to advance any further in his human form. His muscles strained, his bones ached, and a rare sense of frustration welled up within him.
"I didn't think I'd have to revert to my original form just to deal with an unconscious infant," Astra muttered, his voice laced with irritation.
As he spoke, his human skin began to liquefy, bubbling and melting away like molten wax. Beneath it, his true form emerged—a sight so grotesque it would make even the bravest men recoil in horror.
Astra's natural form was monstrous beyond imagination. His rough, crimson skin was riddled with jagged honey-colored spikes protruding from his back like the thorns of a cursed tree. His head bore two long, serrated horns, curving wickedly toward the sky. His mouth—if it could even be called that—was an unholy abyss lined with thousands of needle-like teeth, reminiscent of a pike fish, yet far more terrifying. The muscles on his face hung loosely, torn and dripping with fresh blood, while his bulging, bloodshot eyes threatened to pop from their sockets at any moment.
He was the very embodiment of nightmare fuel.
As soon as he shed his human guise, his power surged, magnified many times over. The suffocating pressure that had once hindered him vanished entirely, rendered meaningless before the raw might of his demonic nature.
"You are worthy of being my lord's son," Astra acknowledged, his voice now deep, coarse, and guttural, like the grinding of stones against one another.
**Slam!**
Suddenly, the newborn's unconscious power lashed out again. The air trembled as loose rocks, shattered debris, and even massive trees were ripped from their roots, swirling into the air before launching themselves at the demons with terrifying force.
**Shatter!**
But Astra remained unbothered. He moved with effortless ease, swiping his clawed hands through the incoming projectiles, reducing them to dust without even the need for magic.
"These efforts are futile," he stated coldly, his tone dripping with disdain.
Seeing Astra's dominance, the other demons who had been paralyzed by fear now found themselves filled with hope. Their leader had made it. Victory was assured.
Astra loomed over the child, his massive frame casting a dark shadow over the unconscious infant. He reached forward, his clawed fingers wrapping around the child's tiny neck before lifting him effortlessly into the air.
His jaw unhinged with a sickening crack, his mouth stretching far wider than should have been possible. Inside, layer upon layer of jagged teeth gleamed in the light— his abyss of a mouth waiting to consume.
And then, he prepared to feast.
**Blast!**
The moment Astra brought the child closer to his gaping maw, his entire body erupted in a violent explosion.
A sickening burst of flesh, blood, and bone painted the surroundings, his remains scattering across the battlefield like grotesque confetti. The sheer force of the blast sent shockwaves through the land, decaying everything it touched. Trees withered instantly, their bark blackening as if scorched by an invisible fire, while the earth itself rotted beneath the splattered remnants of the once-mighty demon.
"FUCK! RUN! We have to report this to the Lord!"
The first demon shrieked, his voice laced with sheer panic as he witnessed Astra—one of their strongest—reduced to nothing in an instant just like the fourth demon.
It didn't take much intelligence to realize that the being before them was no ordinary demon. No, this was something far worse. A monstrosity beyond their comprehension. Something they could never hope to defeat. And so, they did what any sane creature would do—
They ran.
"Shit! How?! How did such an easy job turn into a death sentence?!" the second demon stammered, his mind struggling to make sense of the nightmare unfolding before them.
Without a second thought, they bolted, their feet pounding against the cursed earth as they fled with every ounce of strength in their bodies. They didn't dare look back. Survival was all that mattered now.
But they didn't realize the horror that awaited them.
They ran. And ran. And ran.
Yet, after what felt like an eternity of desperate sprinting, their lungs burning, their limbs trembling, the first demon finally collapsed against a tree, gasping for air.
"Hah… We must have escaped by now…" he panted, relief creeping into his voice as exhaustion weighed heavily on him.
But then—
"Wh-what…?"
Both demons froze.
Terror gripped them as they saw the newborn—still lying there, completely still, completely silent—right in front of them.
And then… the air shifted.
The very aura surrounding the child twisted, morphing into massive, translucent hands that began creeping toward them like wraiths from the abyss.
"H-HOW?! HOW DID IT CATCH UP?!" the second demon screamed, his eyes widening in pure horror as he scrambled backward, trying to escape the spectral hands reaching for him.
Then, realization dawned.
"N-no… NO! We were running in circles!"
They looked down, their hearts sinking into their stomachs.
There, carved into the dirt, were their own footprints—forming a circle. They had been trapped, running endlessly in the same spot, until exhaustion had finally taken its toll.
Their escape had been nothing but an illusion.
As they turned back, the giant hands of pure aura loomed over them, stretching forward, ready to claim their lives.
"NO! DON'T KILL ME, YOU MONSTER!"
The demons shrieked, their voices raw with fear. They tried to flee again, but their legs—paralyzed by terror—refused to move.
And then, the hands struck.
They wrapped around their throats with an unnatural grip, squeezing tighter and tighter as the demons thrashed and clawed, gasping for breath.
Their cries for mercy were met with nothing.
The hands did not hesitate.
With a sickening **CRACK**, their necks were crushed like brittle twigs. Their lifeless bodies twitched for a moment before the spectral hands, ensuring their deaths, twisted further—reducing their spines to nothing but dust.