58.12°C or 136.6°F


    A pristine sky, boasting realistic weather and an ideal temperature for drying any fabric. As the enormous clouds loom overhead, casting a shadow over the venue of mini mayhem, a 6.1-foot tall demon emerges from the cool shade.


    With my bright red skin exposed, adorned with two small horns and thick black hair, dressed in a white high-collared shirt open at the front and black pants cinched with a cloth belt, I look at a duo that is out of place.


    "I definitely made some rash choices back there. Trying to grab Clark while engulfed in flames... I can only pray he''s safe. Pray? Pray to who though?" I said, resting my hand on the long, tightly sheathed katana at my side.


    "Iz it... The kid?" a drowsy voice inquired as it dragged along a heavily rusted, unsheathed broadsword, slowly walking out of shade.


    "Shut up, Un-justice! I ended up here because of you, so stay the hell away and let me do my narration in peace! I still need to cover the rice straw scandals!!!" I yelled blatantly at him, my voice rising dramatically at the end.


    Ah! That should do the trick. Well then...


    Even with a tone that unmistakably urged him to get away from me, it didn''t register anything far from ''Stand by me'' to that undeveloped brain. Oh... and as for his appearance... I can hardly describe it...


    Towering at 14.2 feet tall, his body replaced by jagged pencil sketches, lines sketched from head to toe with no other detail. I wish that was all there was to it, but to make matters worse, adding to his menacing presence, every line quivered like a tuning fork.


    Honestly, he resembled a creature straight out of a fantasy, with that rusty broadsword he drags along by simply gripping its pommel with his razor-sharp nails... or fingertips.


    "Oh! Are yo'' wonderin'' about my style?"


    "No, you pervy half-giraffe. I know it reflects the amount of prison time you’re facing. Counted in millennia. Adios. Don''t follow me, or your mother will hate you even more."


    "Juzt learnt. Thiz zcare the kid. So–"


    "Keep talking like that and you won''t be able to beat these pedophile allegations."


    "–I thought I zhould zcare the kid and he will hug me!"


    Ugh! The wall also got taller. Whatever... With what I just saw that kid is probably safe from this, this... this thing. I will just remove myself from this equation and head off... probably somewhere far from this mess. Better stay unbothered.


    "Maybe I will use this power and speed things up..."


    Don''t. I wanted to shout, but I just walked away from the center of attraction. Opting to let time drift by, just like a half-alive man... Oops. Just like the half-alive creatures of the Antaeus labyrinth.


    As I took just a few steps forward, I spotted an unusual trio armed and lurking behind some debris, as if they were planning an ambush. I didn''t bother to inquire about their intentions, but they quickly responded to my sharp gaze and spoke as if to justify themselves.


    "We have endured so much suffering because of them!"


    "Exactly! Just because we''re immortal here doesn''t mean they can torture us to death! Also, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"


    "We will make them pay! Even though the pain we felt is gone, the burden we are carrying says otherwise!"


    How stupendously classic. They just exist, no matter which path you chose. I just hope I don''t see anymore characters like these.


    I could have cared less about them, but beings like these sure boil my blood(?). Oh, I have blood in me now. They make my blood boil.


    So, I arm-grabbed one by the neck and pointed to the three victims who had attempted the same thing.


    "Firstly, you are not dead. Secondly, do you see that? Do you really think the pain you felt is worse than what they are going through? They can''t even comprehend what they did wrong in their lives. Oh! Or the crime they committed is being the impulsive stupids!"


    I shoved him back toward his companions and snatched a lollipop that dangled from his waist. Quickly tearing open the wrapper, I popped the yellow-orange candy into my mouth, bathing it in saliva.


    "Woah!!! It sure is fantastic to have taste buds! You get to taste this all the time?!"


    The three of them looked at each other, sweating. Probably because they were demotivated. Looks like I have to get their motivation back in exchange for this treat.


    Like hell as if I can motivate anyone.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Listen now. The three victims from earlier are some well-known pigeons.


    Even if you believe they''re in pain for their actions,


    remember they were the ones who faced the real harassment.


    Meanwhile, their son of a bi... boss has escaped unscathed.


    This just shows you how the world works.


    Discouraging the labor, enriching the leisure.


    If you''re still considering an ambush, let me ask you…


    Have any of you committed a crime?"


    The answers came quickly, as quickly as the taste had imprinted itself in my memory. Yet, only the two of them shook their heads, while one was ogling his eyes at my drooling jaw.


    "Look away unless you want me to gouge them out. I don''t know what crime you''ve committed, but it can''t be anything to rival that clown''s deadly sins," I remarked, pointing at the lanky, grayish figure hunched over as he approached a child.


    The trio whispered among themselves, pushing each other''s shoulders as if trying to burst some kind of bubble. I could have walked away at any time, but I stood there, expecting them to do something absurd.


    When I bit into the candy so hard that it cracked loudly enough for them to hear, one of them finally mustered the courage to step forward.


    "The thing is... We were waiting to tell you that you are eating a pineapple pizza-flavored lollipop... But..."


    ……


    Hatred. Disgust. Those were the feelings that washed over me as I looked at the trash in front of me and the revolting treat sliding down my throat. The bubble burst a little too late, and it took a moment to process, but my hand slowly rose toward the one who was slowly retreating.


    "Ahh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" he screamed as I yanked him by his ear.


    "You stupid bastards! What did you give me?! Say again!" I shouted angrily into his ear as I delivered a sharp slap to his cheek.


    "We thought you liked it! Ah! It hurts!" he responded lively as his remaining two companions made a run for it.


    "After eons of waiting, I finally get to taste food, and you feed me rat poison with a destructiveness of thousand tons of TNT, you moron?!" I shrieked at him as I continued to slap him repeatedly.


    "I assumed that you knew we all carried weapons on us! Ahh! You also sounded quite profound! So– Ahh! I''m really sorry! Please, just stop! It hurts!" he exaggeratedly expressed, struggling to speak with a swollen cheek.


    As for which country came up with this is the least of my worries, but they certainly committed a war crime, and forced me to recall the same words I spoke earlier.


    "This world really thrives on suffering..."


    ———————


    "Don''t you ever utter that word again," I said with a resolute tone, my voice heavy with seriousness.


    It was the first time he had ever heard me speak in that tone. Sure enough, he went into silent mode and gave a single nod of acceptance instead of the sad face I thought he would make.


    A small smile appeared on my face, probably the face I subconsciously made to make the child feel safe. With the thought of keeping the story moving, I proposed to Kiddo that we should continue. However, just as I was about to elaborate, a massive shadow suddenly appeared above us.


    Impulsively, I quickly turned my gaze to the huge creature in front of me, but what I truly caught was a glimpse of that creature being dragged away by the humongous tumbleweed, rather than the sight of some sort of mythical creature.


    The shadow might have gone unappreciated by the boy, but the clamor and a reedy yelp did make him turn and question about what the ominous sound was. The sight was so eerie that it made me want to jump straight to the end of the story.


    "That''s it, Kiddo. Let''s have one last laugh and be done with this."


    "So, are we doing that?!"


    I declared, "Yes..." just as the high watchtower behind us began to tremble and make a thunderous noise that demanded everyone''s attention. "The Demon Lord''s Final Act!" I exclaimed as a powerful gust of wind unleashed from the collapsed tower, signaling for all to keep their eyes glued to the attraction.


    There was no need for us to relocate, as the last drama would take place right behind me once the dust had settled.


    The anticipation for the scene to unfold was abruptly interrupted as we saw an inert man with a red ahoge soar out of the dust and crash violently into the venue''s massive pillar, embedding himself within it, and the dust was forced to settle as another figure was sent flying in the same way, causing the pillar to collapse on impact.


    Our jaws hanging loose and eyes wide open with astonishment, we slowly shifted our gaze to the one at the heart of the commotion, the one believed to be responsible for this sight.


    ''So, that is… The…''


    "Who is that?!"


    "Just… Why is the narrator surprised again?!!!"


    "How greedy are you to skip right over us and go to the Demon Lord?" said a heavy voice that sounded almost as if its mouth was filled with saliva.


    As soon as he finished his words, he... did nothing. Or rather, he couldn''t do anything. What we saw was a man with a grotesquely shaped physique, nestled in the rumble, erupting into maniacal laughter.


    He was nearly 12.4 feet tall, considering he was still sitting, seemingly weighing around 520 kilos. His body was a canvas of protruding lumps of fat and skin, each one clearly visible. This appearance extended beyond his torso, distempering his face and every inch of it.