21Chapter 1: The Challenge
Someone was watching the television as he drank a beer. He sat on the sofa, reclined on the back. He watched it in the living room with the windows covered up by curtains that didn't allow anyone from inside or outside to see anything. The room was clean, but besides the sofa, three empty bottle of beer were left there with a box containing many more inside by the side of the sofa. He was bored and changed channels as he searched for something interesting to watch. He stopped when he saw something interesting, "Hum. I wonder who the villain of the week is."
"Today on: The Mark Of Villainies, we will give you a brief resume of one of the important villain being of the 20th century who managed to be the number one most villain being, for fifty years in the ranking."
The one who watched the television looked at it more interested as a small smile appeared on his skull face. He saw the picture of the villain of the day. It was a muscular demon with a black body with a white skull goat for his head with two silver horns, a pair of red eyes and a long black tail. He wore a black coat and pants while holding a long silver scythe with the blade being black. On the side of the picture, it was written that the demon was seventeen feet tall and weighed one ton.
"For those of you who don't remember, the great villain being of the past was Kailus. He was known during his youth for attacking puppies and getting bitten by the mother of the puppies. Except for that, he didn't do anything standing out in the childhood, even during his delinquent years were typical."
"They had to bring that biting part," he grumbled.
"When he became an adult, he joined the army during one of the greatest war and learned his fighting capacity and expressing his chaotic nature within the allied force against the axis. After the war, he used his fighting capacity learned as a soldier to reach his dream of becoming one of the greatest villains being of the world. He began to seriously follow that path in 1952 and climbed quickly the ranks and in six years. Kailus became the number one in the rank as the greatest villain being of the planet by defeating with brute force the previous number one. During the next fifty years, he was the greatest villain one known for causing chaos through the world for the sole purpose of enjoying causing suffering. His greatest act was when he took control for many years of the white house and controlling the USA until he got bored and brought the president down, not before stealing half the gold the government of the USA had. An event that was kept in secret until 2035."
They then gave a list of everything else Kailus did during fifty years. The one who was watching the view was smiling as he rejoiced in the machination that villain committed over the years. He emptied his beer bottle and picked another one and opened it before taking a sip. When the show finished listing the villain deeds of the ex-number one villain, the animator continued: "What kicked him out of the greatest villain title? Was it a super hero who defeated him once and for all? Was it his overconfidence or did he just quit? The answer is simple, he was defeated by a rival who overcame thanks to his inventions and overcame the pure power of Kailus. His defeat was too much to handle for his ego and disappeared from the map. Since then no one saw or heard anything from him again, except for a rumor that he kidnap a kid around 40 years ago and never gave it back or ask a ransom."
The viewer frowned as he heard that when he heard a young voice said, "You don't look like in the picture."
The one watching the television was in fact Kailus himself, but he was indeed different from the picture. His muscles had deflated with the passage of time while his gut became huge. He was simply wearing a red shirt and blue pants
"Don't need to tell me that and-" he looked at the source of the voice and saw a little girl resting on his gut, watching the television. It was a Caucasian girl with pale green eyes and short blond hair looking around four years old. She wore a black shirt with long black skirt, "-When did you get on me?"
"Since the episode started," she innocently replied.
The demon grunted, "So quiet."
"Yep," she gave her cutest smile.
He sighed and drank the rest of his beer when the show grabbed his attention again.
"We are usually at the moment where we interview the villain of the week, but since he couldn't be found, we instead interrogated Mathias, the current greatest villain of the world to know how Kailus has been defeated by him."
"W-what?" Kailus yelled as his body emitted a dark aura, "Him! They ask him for information about how I lost! He's going to brag about it so much!"
"Yeah," the little girl replied as she sat on the demon's gut.
"And get off of me. There is a seat you can take instead," he ordered her.
"Naw," she replied.
"Mika!" his dark aura was stronger. His attention was once again back on the TV show.
"Thank you for inviting me. I'm sure it is more interesting to talk with me than Kailus anyway. He is known to be a clown in front of cameras." There was an old Caucasian male human.
"Liar!" the demon grunted as he blushed.
"As for why he lost his title. It is pretty simple," Mathias said with a small grin, he crossed his fingers together and said in distain, "He's outdated. He is a demon who relied on his magical control over the darkness and his own natural strength, but when he faced me, he lost without hitting me when I challenged him. At the end of the fight, I left him drowning in his own blood as I took the title. It was a once sided battle and I'm sure he never went over it. That's why we never saw him again."
"You didn't fight me fairly human! And how dare you call me outdated!" the demon furiously yelled. He emitted a stronger radiation of darkness from his body and pointed his finger at the screen, "You accursed bastard!"
"That's interesting mister Mathias. What do you mean by outdated thought?" the animator asked.
"It's simple. The world changed, but he didn't. He was the same as before and eventually, something out of his understanding and reach would appear. It was me of course. The world isn't governed by magic and supernatural anymore, but by technologies that are still developing even these days. Beings like him, focusing on their supernatural powers are things of the past. I bet he wouldn't even be able to handle a B grade hero these days considering how technology evolved. The police can handle him like any normal criminals now," Mathias chuckled for a few seconds.
"Thank you Mathias. This is all for The Mark Of Villainies. You now know more about the life of Kailus. Next week, we will visit the life of another villain who left his mark on: The Mark Of Villainies."
The demon saw dark and said nothing, but his hand held tight on the handle of the sofa while his dark aura continued to emit from his body.
The girl turned around and asked, "Is he telling the true?"
Kailus closed his eyes and eventually drank the rest of his beer before picking another bottle, "I did lose to him."
"What happen?" Mika asked him.
The demon pointed his claw between her two eyes and grunted aggressively, "No more question about it."
"Why didn't you-"
"What did I say?" the demon said as the dark aura focused only on his on his claw, touching the forehead of the little girl.
She crossed her arms and turned around.
The demon took a deep breath and his aura dispersed as he calmed down, pushing aside what he saw in the show. There was nothing he could do anyway.
She checked at the demon and when she was sure he was calm, she said, "You looked great in the picture Kailus."
Kailus lightly grinned, "Yes," before taking a sip of his beer. He looked at her and ordered, "Now get off me. I ordered you that already."
"But you're so comfy," she replied innocently as she tapped the squishy belly of the demon.
"Let me remind you that I'm a demon Mika. You know what my kind can do," the demon warned her as he released a dark aura on his hand and his red eyes shined brightly. The dark aura turned into the head of the girl and he crushed it with his hand.
She looked at the demon unfazed before giggling, which annoyed him. He gently pinching her cheek as a small smile appeared on his face when she grumbled.
"Kailus," she started before saying nothing for a few seconds. The demon looked suspiciously at her. She turned around and asked with an innocent smile, "How was it to be the greatest villain of the Earth?"
Kailus simply grumbled, wondering if she had something in mind. He knew Mika more than anyone else. Despite looking like a four years old girl, she was much more than that.
Mika started bouncing on the gut of the demon and said, "Come on. You must have cool stories that the show didn't tell."
"Hey! Stop doing that! I told that many times already that my belly is not a trampoline!" the demon ordered.
"Tell me please," she insisted.
Kailus grumbled a few things and replied, "If you climb off me."
"Nope," she childishly said.
"You're almost 44 dammit," the demon grumbled while she kept bouncing on him, "At least stop jumping on me and I'll tell you."
"Yah!" she said as she lay down on the demon and looked in his eyes with a large smile.
"It was great. The end," the demon said with a large grin.
Mika frowned and was about to stand up when the demon put his hand on her head and chuckled, "Come on. I'm messing with you."
"Better give a longer story. The show only gives a list," she replied, still frowning at the demon.
"Can't blame me. That's my revenge for annoying me," Kailus replied before chuckling when the girl puffed as she gazed at the side. He then finished his beer and put it with the other empty bottles. He didn't pick another one and tapped his snout as he thought. He snapped his fingers and said, "Got one."
"Tell me," Mika excitedly asked.
The demon started, "It has been listed, but it is something I am particularly proud of. In 1965, I have one of my most intense battles against my nemesis of the decade called Steelman The Second."
"Who's that?" Mika asked.
"He was a powerful super heroes during that decade. I'll skip the boring part and go right at the climax. I managed to steal an important component that could be used to create my powerful scythe that you saw in the picture. It was a black stone made of pure darkness, still unnamed these days. I had it in my grasp when Steelman The Second appeared in front of me, saying a stupid cheesy hero speech," he looked at her and added, "Cheesy speech was popular during that time."
"What was it?"
"You won't escape Steel Justice," the demon bluntly replied.
The little girl laughed.
"It's now stupid, but not until the eighties. Anyway, after those words, we engaged in one of the longest battle of our existence," his tone became nostalgic, "It was a fight between my fist and magic against his steel skin and his power to create weapon with his ability to create steel, which is obvious with his super hero name. Anyway, when we moved closer to the climax of our fight, my fist were getting painful as I punched through metal multiple time while I managed to slowly crack the steel skin of the super hero," as he continued talking his passion in his voice as his voice got more passionate and intense, "He managed to punch my face and I was confused. I felt on the ground, thinking of a quick way to turn things around when he was ready to knock me out. I quickly search for a plan and I obviously found one. I broke his balance with my tail just before he finish me before I followed with a spell where hands that came from the darkness world tear his steel skin apart and I knocked him out with a punch on his face. Then, as villainies tradition demand, I took my deeds and walked away, leaving the super hero unconscious."
"You beat a super hero," Mika said amazed.
"Of course. If I had lost, I wouldn't have my scythe made with that stone. I still have it in the basement, but I don't remember where I put it."
"You're so cool," she said with a large smile.
He lightly blushed while a large grin appeared on his face as his ego inflated.
"Kailus. Have you ever wondered if you wanted to return to that time where you can fight super heroes?" she asked.
Kailus looked at her and said, "So that's where you were going when you hesitated."
"No," she quickly replied as she hid her nervousness.
"Don't try Mika."
"I'm not," she insisted with an innocent grin.
The demon gently pinched her cheek again, "I said don't try. I know you all too well. Now tell me why you are asking me that question?"
"Ouch," she grumbled as she massaged her cheek. She sighed and admitted, "I... saw it on internet."
"That thing. I still don't understand what's so great about that thought," he commented, "And then," he moved his left hand as he commanded her to continue.
"You were so great and cool. The way you were in the pictures is different from now," she briefly explained.
"That's all?" he asked as he crossed his arms.
"It would have been fun if you were a villain once again," she sighed.
He tapped her head and replied, "That time is over for me Mika. Look at me. I'm the shadow of what I was," he closed his eyes and sighed, "I tried once to make a comeback thought."
"When?" she asked as she sat on the demon.
"And we will now give you the top ten of the greatest villains of Earth and their great action that allowed them to reach the ranking," the animator started in the next show of the same channel.
He looked at her in her eyes, "It was the time when I kidnapped you from your parents. I wanted this to be a little push for the comeback, but it never went more than that. If I ready did, you would do everything I said and be afraid of me Mika. The me back when I was the greatest villain is not the one you see now. If you did one thing I dislike, I would have hurt you hard. I didn't hesitate to euthanize my pet before he annoyed me too many times and I sent him in the absolute darkness dimensions," his red eyes shined for a few seconds as he thought of his old self, before it went back to normal as he sighed again, "Be happy I wasn't motivate and was very..." he tried finding the word.
"Lazy?" she asked, which made the demon winced.
"Permissive," he corrected her, even if she was very much right.
"Lazy."
"Stop saying that," he grumbled, "Even so Mika. It's over. I will never come back no matter what."
"Nothing will change your mind?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"As for the number seven of the greatest villain, we have the group SJW also known as Social Justice Warriors."
"What did the he say?" Kailus yelled when he heard that.
"The SJW reached the number seven in the rank of the greatest villains with their greatest plan that managed to emasculate fifty pour cents of the males in the USA with something so unimaginable that even I cannot say it... As I am one of their victims," the animator started to cry.
Once again, a dark aura was emanating from the demon just before he yelled, "That's ridiculous! How a group of insane feminist can could be ranked in the list of villains. The SJW are evil and not villain! Those SJW are monsters and I fought the Nazis long ago!"
He calmed down while Mika said, "They have climbed in the rank since last month."
The demon yelled again and grunted, "This is getting ridiculous! SJW, ranked in the greatest villains! This is an insult to the true villains of the Earth!"
Mika looked at the television and lightly grinned, when she was sure the demon was looking at her, "This is normal now. We can't do anything about it."
"I didn't become the number one greatest villain just to see something like that climbing the ranks!" He put Mika on the ground and stood up from his couch, "This is unbelievable! This is something I cannot sit and let it go!"
"You mean-"
"I cannot let this insult of the SJW dictated the way of villainies and if no one else cares! I have to make them care about it!" he raised his hands in the air and grunted. Mika whispered a yes when the demon continued and cut her joy, "But I can't show up like this," he grabbed his lard.
"So what?" she asked, wondering if he was about to back down.
"I'll be mocked by everyone, heroes and villains and being nicknamed the fatso from hell. My pride won't take it. There is only one thing to do. A massive regime and training to look like what I was before."
"That means that you will be buffed and thin?" she asked.
"Yes. That means bye-bye my big belly which you had fun with," Kailus at the girl with a grin.
"Ah," she whined.
"And Mika. I need your help in this," the demon said.
Mika wondered what how she could help him.
AC: This is the end of the first chapter.
Next: Shape The Demon Up.