The darkness spreading from the heart of the dense jungle grew thicker by the minute, turning vivid green leaves black as charcoal. A toxic mist drifted through the air, reeking of blood and rot, as if someone had ground up a pile of ash and scattered it across the forest floor. The thunderous roar from moments ago still shook the earth, splitting the ground into deep fissures. Ancient yang-na trees, centuries old, crashed down one after another with sounds like mountains shattering.
And yet, right in the middle of this nightmare, Diamond Axe Kid stood on a rotting log, swaying his hips without a care in the world. The little guy tugged his red wrapped trousers snug, then puffed out his round chest without a trace of fear — radiating the fearless confidence of a divine child who was way too brave for his age.
"Sheesh… all that sky-splitting roaring, and I figured something at least as big as a water buffalo was gonna show up. But nope — first thing you do is say hello with a wave of stinky air. That's actually pretty funny!" The kid laughed, his clear voice ringing out like a crystal bell, scattering some of the gloom hanging over the forest.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The moment his teasing words faded, the ground shook again. This time, the massive form of the malevolent spirit known as the Demon King Pob lurched out from behind the curtain of dark fog. Its body was tall enough to brush the treetops, its skin the deep gray of cold ash, its eyes blazing red like enormous fireballs. Long, jagged fangs jutted past its blackened lips. Its belly bulged out like a giant water jar — and yet its sides were sunken and gaunt, ribs showing through, a testament to a hunger that could never be filled.
Behind the Demon King Pob, the Black Shaman lay sprawled on a stone altar, battered and broken from taking the Diamond Axe's righteous radiance in the last encounter. Even so, he was cackling like a madman from beneath the monster's ankle.
"Ha ha ha! You arrogant little brat! You've walked right into your own grave!" the Black Shaman screamed, his raspy voice dripping with venom. "This is the Demon King Pob — commander of all hunger, raised by the dark lord Mara Awijja from the rage and sins of an entire city! That little hatchet of yours won't even scratch him!"
Diamond Axe Kid didn't bother listening to the threat. Instead, he tilted his head and stared wide-eyed at the Demon King's bloated belly, then called out with total sincerity, "Whoa! Hey there, Big Uncle Pob… that belly of yours is something else. You got like a hundred watermelons stuffed in there, or did you swallow the whole village's water jars? You're that huge, but your face looks like you haven't eaten a banana in three months. That's actually kind of sad."
"GRAAAH! You crazy kid! I am the Demon King Pob — devourer of souls and faith and wealth! I'm not fat from watermelons. I'm fat from GREED!" The Demon King bellowed, its rancid breath blasting out and sending dry leaves swirling in all directions.
"Oh, fat from greed, huh?" The boy tilted his head and poked his own cheek with one finger. "Master Sage Fireye always told me — the greedier you are, the more you want, and the more you want, the more you feel like you're starving. Sounds like Big Uncle Pob is just mistaking a millstone for a lotus — thinking that sucking the life out of everyone else will make you great. But look at you: belly about to pop, and your heart's still hollow as a beggar rattling a bowl. I think that's what they call a condition where you just can't ever feel full, right?"
The words were innocent on the surface, but they cut straight to the bone of truth. The Demon King Pob actually flinched. Its blazing red eyes went wide with fury mixed with something like shame. It had never once met a child who walked up and insulted it to its face while smiling.
"ENOUGH! You've got a mouth on you, kid! I'll swallow you whole — sacred axe and all!"
The Demon King lurched its enormous, boulder-like body forward, raising a massive hand with claws sharp as a harvest sickle, swiping down to crush the small figure beneath it. But Diamond Axe Kid, quick as a sparrow on the wind, sprang up and somersaulted clean over the giant hand with ease. His small body hung in midair as he spun around to face the monster and burst out laughing.
"Catch me if you can, Big Uncle Jar-on-Legs!"
BOOM!
The giant hand missed and slammed into the earth, gouging out a massive crater. Dust exploded everywhere. The Demon King Pob raged even harder, face twisted with fury. It threw open its mouth and vomited out hundreds of vengeful spirits — black, writhing shapes — from deep in its gut. These were the souls of villagers and forest creatures who had fallen prey to the Black Shaman's greed and superstition. Now they were bound in chains of dark sorcery, wailing and shrieking, hurling themselves at anything living on the monster's command.
"Help us… we're starving… we're in so much pain…" The cries of the enslaved souls were heartbreaking.
The moment Diamond Axe Kid saw those poor souls, the mischievous grin slipped from his face. His bright eyes shifted — the playfulness replaced by a deep, warm sorrow, the compassion of a divine child who truly felt the suffering of others. He could feel the pain of innocent people trapped in servitude because of someone else's cruelty and greed.
"Those poor folks… suffering because of a cheater, torn away from their homes and their families, stuck rotting inside some disgusting demon's gut," the boy murmured softly. Then a fierce, unshakeable resolve ignited in his heart. "I'm not going to let anyone suffer because of someone else's greed. Not anymore!"
Without hesitation, the kid reached back and drew the Diamond Axe from behind him, swinging it in a wide arc. The blade, etched with flowing vine patterns, blazed with light — like a thousand stars collapsing into one. A clean, pure white radiance burst from the axe head, blasting away the toxic mist and the foul aura hanging over the area, flooding the forest with light as bright as high noon.
"Diamond Axe's righteous radiance — break these chains of ignorance and set these enslaved souls free!" the kid declared, leaping high into the air and bringing the Diamond Axe slashing down in one clean strike!
FWUMP! FLASH!
A wave of diamond light surged into the mass of vengeful spirits — but it didn't destroy them or cause them pain. The gentle divine radiance sliced through the dark chains binding each soul, and the chains crumbled to dust. The Black Shaman's dark sorcery and the Demon King's hold shattered in an instant, like clean water washing mud from a cloth.
The souls that had been savage and wailing suddenly came back to themselves. Their faces returned to peace and warmth. Their spirit-forms began to glow with a soft light. Many reached for each other and wept with relief at being freed from their living hell.
"I'm free… I'm finally free! Thank you, merciful divine child!" The spirit of an old woman bowed low before the kid, tears of gratitude and remorse streaming down her face. "I was so greedy — I cheated my neighbors for money and goods. When I died, I ended up trapped inside that monster. But now I understand…"
"It's okay, ma'am — no need to bow to me. From here on out, keep your heart set on doing good, alright? Your debt is paid. Follow the light and go where you belong." Diamond Axe Kid gave her a gentle smile, offering hope and encouragement to every soul. One by one, the spirit-forms dissolved into drifting golden light, carrying the warmth of faith, and floated upward toward the Heavens and better realms, carried by the current of their own karma.
"Why you little — ! You DARE release my food?!" The Demon King Pob shrieked in outrage. Its once-bloated belly deflated instantly, collapsing flat against its ribs. Its massive body began to tremble and weaken visibly, drained of the life force it had sustained itself on by imprisoning others.
"Now it's your turn, Big Uncle Pob — and yours too, Mr. Black Shaman!" Diamond Axe Kid turned back, gripping the Diamond Axe tight, the mischievous gleam back in his eyes. "I told you — do good and good comes back; do evil and evil comes back. There's no running from it!"
The Black Shaman saw which way the wind was blowing. He knew the Demon King Pob was losing ground to the tide of karma, and he tried to crawl away into the shadows to save his own skin. But he was too slow. The Demon King Pob — starving and frenzied now that it had no enslaved souls left to feed on — happened to glance down with its bulging red eyes and spot the Black Shaman cowering right at its feet.
"Food… I need power… You summoned me! YOU will be my food!" The Demon King roared and snatched up the Black Shaman in one massive fist.
"WAIT! Lord Demon King! Don't eat me! I'm your master! HELP!" The Black Shaman screamed, thrashing and flailing like a fish dropped in boiling water. But the karma he had built up — all those souls imprisoned and tormented — had come full circle, returning to him in the form of the very monster he had created. There was no escaping it.
SNAP! GULP!
The Demon King Pob shoved the Black Shaman into its mouth and swallowed him whole in an instant. But instead of gaining power, the dark sorcery and accumulated sin inside the Black Shaman acted like a violent poison, tearing through the Demon King from the inside. Black and red light exploded from within its belly in bursting, crackling flashes. The enormous body twisted and convulsed, letting out agonized howls of pain.
"AAAARGH! It burns! It BURNS! The sins — they're consuming me!" The Demon King's scream rang out like a thunderclap.
Diamond Axe Kid watched and slowly shook his head with a sorrowful sigh. "Man… you really went all out — using a sledgehammer to swat a fly — big plans to rule the Three Realms, and in the end you get taken down by your own partner. Karma really doesn't play favorites, does it? Never lets anyone off the hook."
The young divine child raised the Diamond Axe toward the sky one final time, gathering the highest power of righteousness within him, then brought it slashing down in front of him to deliver the finishing blow. A burst of diamond light shot forward and tore through the Demon King Pob's body, which exploded into black ash that dissolved into the air — and the Black Shaman plunged straight down into the lowest realm along with it.
When the darkness finally cleared, the jungle breathed again. Dawn light filtered down through the treetops and touched the earth. Leaves that had been black and dead turned vivid, living green. Nearby waterfalls and streams began to flow again, murmuring softly, their clear water mirroring the beautiful sky above. Flocks of forest birds returned to their nests, singing out in celebration of the peace restored.
Diamond Axe Kid slung the sacred axe back into place behind him. He took a long, deep breath of clean air, then smiled a smile as sweet as fresh honey, silently giving thanks to Master Sage Fireye for teaching him the way of righteousness. The ancient city and this stretch of forest had returned to peace and calm, thanks to the power and wisdom of one small boy with a topknot.
But just as the kid was about to sit down and enjoy the view, the ground beneath his feet trembled again — a new wave. This time the surge of energy rolled in from the east, a mysterious force thick with the scent of ancient sorcery and the call of a great river… a sign that a new disaster was taking shape somewhere in the Three Realms, and that someone in desperate need was already waiting for this Diamond Axe.
The kid gave a small shrug and hummed cheerfully to himself. "Whoa… another job already? Works for me! I was just starting to get bored. Let's go see who's stirring up trouble this time!"
His small figure leaped forward in a single bound and vanished into a curtain of golden mist, heading toward the next adventure with a heart that knew no fear.
Moral of the chapter: Greed and the abuse of power to exploit others may build the illusion of greatness for a little while — but in the end, the wrongs you commit always circle back and become the weapon that destroys you. No one escapes the law of karma. Only goodness endures as the light that protects the world.