“Damn, who turned off the Iights?” the masked youth commented while scratching his head.

Strangely enough, the Demonic One could clearly see both intruders in the pitch blackness, and this was not a good sign for him. Usually, foreign entities die under the influence of the void.

It was something that became routine for him when confronting all kinds of creatures that intruded his home. That is, until he encountered that stupid, hateful, abominable golden light.

Is it another one?!

He panicked at the thought and the possibility that the golden light had brought a comrade.

Am I going to die, after all? Are they going to double-team me? No! I refuse to cease from existence in such a manner!

The pitch black void suddenly darkened in large areas, outlining what seemed like silhouettes of black tentacles.

Indeed, innumerable tentacles, each somehow many shades darker than the surrounding void, squirmed and snaked everywhere like thick, black vines. They expanded, contracted, and contorted in a repulsive manner, painting a very messy, grotesque image of appendages.

“Why tentacles?” the youth mumbled and grimaced at the assumed form of the incorporeal being. “Every time, it has to be tentacles. Like, can’t those of your type take on the form of animals, or something?”

In response, a few tentacles flew straight at his face. The youth ducked and the black tendrils shot above his head. He twisted his body, dodging a few more afterwards. He took note that the speed of the tentacles were much, much faster than when the hero had swung his sword. Though, that was when the blond was restraining himself.

“Hey, chill out. And as for the answer to your previous worries, I won't do anything to your home,” the masked youth assured nonchalantly.

“I have a very important question, though. Like, would you be considered a man? I don’t really get the chance to confirm directly with your kind. Well, anyway, whatever the heck kinda thing you are, I have no interest in your dwelling.”

But the Demonic One had already stopped caring for his words and began hurtling even more black tentacles towards the masked youth from all directions. They shot forth rapidly in an attempt to stab and pierce through him.

Yet even during his rambling inquiries and comments, the masked youth was adroit in weaving through the tentacles. The blond was tied to his back as the youth danced through the mass of black tendrils.

“Don’t you think it’s kinda gloomy and drab here? Like, I can’t even get to my bed during night time without stubbing my toe, much less here. But that's besides the main point. Aren’t you technically genderless? You know, because you can't call color a man or a woman. Can I just call you ‘he’, though? I don't care if it's wrong. It's just easier for me to say.”

Even under the onslaught of tentacles, the youth once again flew off on a tangent concerning something utterly useless and irrelevant.

At some point, he had started using the frozen blond as a batting stick to block and deflect all the tentacles. The black tendrils harmlessly bounced off the hero’s golden aura. The masked youth continued swinging his human weapon wildly with glee.

“Haha, this is much more fun than I expected!” he exclaimed and continued bashing the tentacles.

The Demonic One lashed out unceasingly with his countless tentacles. Each attack was more fierce and filled with anger than the last. Likewise, the youth remained in the center of the storm of tendrils, evading and deflecting each attack.

Note that the exchange was on a planetary scale, one that could easily destroy a world, as ridiculous as it sounded. It just comes to show just how strong these beings were. But the White Realm seemed unaffected by the Demonic One’s onslaught.

Thump.

“HAHAHAHA-”

Thwack.

“Woah that was a close-”

Whack.

“How does sound work here again-”

Fwip.

“Jeez! Can you sto-”

Crack.

“You know what, I’m freakin’ done!”

BOOM!

The rhythmic tune of battle continued for a quite a while but abruptly ended with a large, deafening explosion. The black tentacles disappeared completely from the void. The normal shade of black returned.

“Okay, I got bored, so I ended it early. Nice, there are no scratches,” the masked youth yawned while examining his trusty human weapon. “Guess that explains why he looked fine after battling you. Seems he has some kind of natural defense against you or something.”

Then the masked youth pointed towards a black spherical core floating off in the distance of the void. Large cracks snaked down its sides. As for how the masked youth could tell where he was in the pitch blackness that surrounded them, the Demonic One didn’t know.

There were a few moments of silence. The Demonic One dreaded what his enemy would do. He stared at the strange youth holding the hero over his shoulder.

“Are you a masochist or something?” he finally questioned with a straight face.

Well, he had a mask, so the Demonic One couldn’t tell for sure whether he had a straight face. But the stoic tone of the youth’s voice told him enough.

“I mean, you got this whole tentacle gig going. So I thought you’d be weirdly obsessed or something.”

What the hell is he talking about?!

Anger, shame, curiosity, fear, and most notably, confusion, coalesced into a crazy storm within the Demonic One as he thought this. He felt like slapping the masked youth in the face with his nonexistent hands.

The being of white was irritating, to say the least, but in way that’s quite different than the golden light. While the golden light felt threatening, the masked youth was vexing in the sense that the Demonic One felt like being he was being played a fool!

He had never met a being so annoyingly talkative, so frivolous in their antics, nor so brazen with their words.

And not so powerful.

He was clearly more powerful than the hero. The Demonic One didn’t dare take any more action in fear of provoking the powerful being into using his true strength. That explosion somehow wiped out all the tentacles in the void, and the Demonic One was most proud of the number he could produce (nearly endlessly).

He had a nagging feeling that he hadn’t even been able to scratch the surface of his opponent’s abilities. He was pretty sure the masked youth didn't need to dodge his tentacles. It seemed more like he was just playing with the blond’s body under his attacks.

“Alright, enough playing around, big guy. Yeah, I’ll call you a guy from now on,” the masked youth nodded as if deciding on something important. “I think we’re all good now.”

The stranger dressed in white stretched his arms and legs for a few moments. Then he perked up.

“Can’t wait! You guys will be the first ones!”

The Demonic One felt a shiver travel down his nonexistent back when he heard those words.

His newfound sensitivity to emotions was not something he particularly liked. It felt like having a body that reacted too easily to his thoughts.

You know what, do whatever you want. I don’t even care anymore.

Although he couldn’t see it, the Demonic One was sure that the youth hid a savage, toothy grin behind his mask.