The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

Although Karsha was enjoying the lesson on Rune Magic, he knew sooner or later he would have to face the music. He was brought to this red planet for a reason. After touching the Mask of Malevolence, he had stepped into something beyond his imagination. The lesson on Rune Magic was just something the man wanted to teach him out of curiosity.

Seeing the man shift from a lively Rune Master to a scary, unknown figure made Karsha sigh inwardly and brace for whatever was coming his way. The sooner he faced it, the sooner he could go home.

Looking at the old man, Karsha hesitated for a bit before asking, "Why am I here, and why do you keep referring to me as the Chosen One?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The man sat back in his chair comfortably before answering, "You, my friend, have been chosen by the Mask of Malevolence as the successor of the Demon of Shadows, Zalgorath the Terrifying—the shadow demon, the commander of fear, pain, and nightmare."

Karsha's heart skipped a beat or two as he saw the man speaking with pride. An aura of danger, pain, and suffering seemed to exude from his already terrifying body. Cold sweat broke out on Karsha's forehead as he looked at the man with a complicated expression. He didn't speak further or try to ask any questions, as he understood the gravity of the situation.

However, that didn't mean he was going to sit and do nothing.

But what else could he do in this situation? He had been pulled into a world without the slightest resistance. What could he do against someone who could easily destroy him with just a finger? At every turn, Karsha was at a loss, so he knew it was best to let the man speak all he had to say before making any decisions.

"You may be wondering who Zalgorath is and what he has to do with any of this," the man asked rhetorically before proceeding to explain. Karsha maintained his neutral expression for now.

"Since you held the mask, you must already know its origin—the pain, fear, horror, and terror it embodies. You must be aware of the demon of dread, the shadow demon. You must know about the group of sorcerers who forged the mask and the chaos it has caused.

You must understand the pain it has brought to the world and why you are skeptical about bonding with it." As the man listed many dreadful aspects of the mask, Karsha couldn't help but feel something terrible was about to happen to him, yet he wanted to know more.

"The mask is dangerous; we all know that. However, what if I told you the mask is actually good and was meant for someone who can channel its energy without losing their will and heart to its nightmares? What if I told you the Mask of Malevolence was made for the one destined to become the true demon lord, the shadow demon, the slayer of nightmares, the terrifying one?"

Karsha continued to stare at the man as he talked about the mask, which would scare anyone. The most dreadful thing a person could ever own was the Mask of Malevolence, yet the man was referring to it as a good thing. Was he perhaps crazy in the head?

"To understand where this is going, we have to go back thousands of years and learn about the origin of Lord Zalgorath. Back then, he was a mere swordsman who spent his days honing his sword skills. There was nothing special about him; even his peers used to make fun of him for how weak he was.

He wasn't a cultivation genius, nor was he a wealthy heir. In fact, he was an average cultivator at best. But he was tenacious; he never backed down from a fight. Because of his can-do spirit, he caught the attention of a very powerful Magic Swordsman.

Despite coming from completely different worlds, Zalgorath started studying under his new master. Many years later, he became a Sword Saint, a qualification that allowed him to become a General in his world. He grew better, more powerful, and deadlier.

Soon, he caught the attention of the first princess of their kingdom. They secretly fell in love and started meeting in secret. They enjoyed each other's company so much that one day, the princess was late to return. This drew the attention of the princes and the king.

After discovering who had been involved with their princess, Zalgorath was banished to the depths of the abyss. However, before he was cast away, his master visited him one last time and told him just one phrase: 'When the time comes, make the right choice.'"

Karsha's heartbeat quickened as he heard the phrase. It wasn't the love story between Zalgorath and the princess that had his heart racing; it was the phrase the Master had said to his disciple. Karsha had heard those exact words before—when he was inheriting the legacy of the Divine Alchemist.

The Divine Alchemist had said the same thing to him. Back then, he hadn't understood its meaning. Now, he was starting to see a connection and hoped to gain some insight into why the mask had chosen him.

"He was banished to the abyss, and for thousands of years, no one heard of Zalgorath. His name was lost to time and forgotten. But after years of silence, the once unremarkable Zalgorath returned, more dangerous than ever. His calm demeanor had been replaced by dread, chaos, and horror.

He became a force of terror. For years, he laid waste to hundreds of worlds, making his presence known throughout the universe. But while many saw his actions as pure horror and evil, what Zalgorath was doing was, in a twisted way, for the greater good.

You see, the worlds he destroyed were not innocent. Zalgorath targeted demons and their allies. The humans who had allied with the demons were eradicated. We all know that in war, innocents often suffer. Yet, that didn't stop Zalgorath. He continued his relentless crusade, driven by his mission."

"Ever since he emerged from the abyss, Zalgorath's life took a drastic turn. Years later, he started gaining supporters, but so did his enemies. His carnage was so brutal that the Heaven Path began preparing to subdue him before he became completely uncontrollable." Karsha raised an eyebrow at the mention of a new term in the man's narrative.

The Heaven Path is known for practicing a form of cultivation considered 'good,' though in reality, they're anything but. They are less brutal than the demons and thus deemed benevolent. On the opposite side is the Dark Path, which is where Zalgorath's wrath was primarily directed.

As time passed, Zalgorath's influence grew to immense proportions. He became a legend, and eventually, a new clan called the Shadowfiend was formed. They worshipped Zalgorath, the ordinary soldier who had returned as a shadow demon. His mastery over shadows was nothing short of extraordinary.

After years of chaos, the Heaven Path finally decided to act. They launched an attack and, ultimately, succeeded in sealing Zalgorath. Despite their efforts, they couldn't kill him, no matter how hard they tried."

Karsha swallowed hard. The thought of a being so powerful that an entire race couldn't kill him was daunting. For a moment, he wished that the Mad Demon had died instead. The idea that they could only seal him, not kill him, brought a sense of dread.

Karsha had killed many people in his past life as a soldier on Earth. He wasn't innocent, but even he was taken aback by the horror surrounding the shadow demon. "So, if he was sealed, where did the mask come from?" Throughout the story, he hadn't heard of Zalgorath ever using a mask. If he was sealed, shouldn't all his followers have perished too?

"You're right. All of Zalgorath's followers were eradicated. The forces that opposed him hunted them down and wiped them out."

"Then where did the sorcerers who created the mask come from? If all his followers were killed, where did you come from?" Karsha asked, piecing together that the man in front of him might be linked to the sorcerers. His intuition was correct.

"Many years after Zalgorath was sealed, seven individuals were drawn to this planet by an unknown force. Just like you, we were pulled here. It was then that we uncovered the truth. Zalgorath had foreseen everything, so he made preparations.

We learned the secrets and the reasons behind Zalgorath's transformation through a vision he showed us. It became clear that the Mask wasn't meant to bring corruption into the world. Instead, it was meant to help the One destined to become the next Shadow Demon to cleanse the universe of corruption and liberate it.

The last message we received was: 'They are coming, and only the light-bringer, the Shadow Demon, the untamed, the unhinged, the slayer, the crusader, the Annihilator can stop them.'

That was the final revelation before everything changed. We created the mask and set it loose, searching for the One."

Karsha's sweat started to drip more profusely. It was becoming clear that he was on the brink of inheriting the legacy of the Demon of Shadows.

"This entire world is the legacy left behind by the Demon of Shadows for his successor," the man said, rising to open his cardboard once more.

"Young man, you've been chosen by the Mask of Malevolence. This means it's your destiny to inherit the legacy."

Karsha sighed heavily, his mind racing. "Can one choose to reject this legacy?" he asked, his voice barely steady.

The man's eyes twinkled with a knowing smile. "Nothing to fear, young man. Embracing this legacy is actually a great thing. After all, you are the Annihilator, aren't you?" He noted Karsha's shock and grinned wider.

"Also, this is your destiny. You're the last one to house the Seed." The moment the man said that, Karsha felt something stir within him. For a fleeting second, he could have sworn he heard a voice in his head—a voice that sounded eerily like his own.