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While they were walking along the road, they encountered a strange man dressed in luxurious black clothing.
He suddenly stopped in front of them and stared at them with strange and terrifying looks, without greeting them.
He asked them, "Which one of you is Nicholas?"
His gaze was strange, and his eyes were crimson.
"His eyes were like the eyes of wild animals..." his voice suddenly exploded, deep like a muffled roar coming from dark depths, strange in its tone as if it did not belong to a human, mysterious in its echo as if the walls themselves repeated it, and angry to the point that it seemed to stab the air around them.
He repeated the same question: "Who among you is Nicholas?"
William and his friends were silent, wondering who the strange man was who wanted Nicholas.
Then the man said in his terrifying voice: "If you do not answer me, I will kill you all in a way you cannot even imagine in your dreams."
Nicholas was thinking about this strange man, wanting to recover his memories; perhaps he knew him from before, but his memory had failed him.
After finding no other solution, he decided to step forward toward the stranger, while his friends tried to stop him.
The man nearby said: "Is that you?"
Nicholas answered: "Yes, it's me. Whatever you want, I have no time to waste with you." Then the stranger stood up — I want to play with you a little.
Then Nicholas asked William to leave with Admiral Jay Voss, to take the sword from the blacksmith, and return to his home; he would follow them later.
William refused at first, but when he saw Nicholas's eyes full of confidence, he told Nicholas: "Alright, let's go." Nicholas smiled and said to William, "Do not worry, I will take care of it."
William and Admiral Jay Voss left, and Nicholas and the strange man began a fierce battle.
Nicholas drew his sword, to which his pendant was attached, and used the Imaginary Path.
His pendant shone intensely, emitting a strong light; he summoned four giant dolls with strange and terrifying shapes.
Then Nicholas said, "You can welcome my friends; they are the source of your new nightmares, the Killer Dolls squad. Take care of him, my friends."
The stranger laughed when he saw the dolls and said that they did not pose any serious threat to him.
So he told Nicholas that he should not try anything, for fear of ruining his miserable life.
Nicholas smiled and said to him: "Are you sure, or are you just trying to pretend to be strong in front of me?"
The stranger replied: "Which of us is afraid? Let's see."
Before the stranger could finish his words, Nicholas ordered the dolls to attack him with the "Cloud of Doom" technique.
The dolls moved toward him with astonishing speed, then suddenly disappeared.
He could not see them; they were too fast.
Then they reappeared and stabbed him repeatedly with their spears, before tearing them from him.
But the spears vanished again, to reappear on the horizon.
The strange man saw that his body was completely torn, bleeding heavily, blood gathering around him like a pool of water.
He fell amid his blood.
Nicholas thought it was over, so he decided to leave.
But as he was leaving, he heard the stranger's voice say: "It's not over yet, you! If you think this will end so quickly, you are wrong, for I was only mocking you; I have grown tired of killing the weak."
Nicholas said: "Then enough talk. Show all your power to kill me."
The stranger laughed and said: "You will see with your own eyes what I will do to you. You will wish for death, but you will never find it."
After finishing his words, he used the pendant to heal all his wounds.
Then a huge chest was summoned, from which emerged a gigantic bloodstained creature with four arms, each arm carrying a sword.
He then asked Nicholas to be introduced to Doll "Z", the nightmare that had single-handedly killed the inhabitants of an entire village.
Nicholas became angry and said to him: "Did you kill innocents for pleasure? I will kill you no matter the cost."
Then he used secret methods, following two paths at once: the Imaginary Path and the Path of Deception.
At that moment, a crimson light emanated from his pendant, so intense that it temporarily blinded the stranger.
Then the light faded, and Nicholas's dolls transformed into terrifying creatures with red eyes, sharp claws, curved swords, and steel blades.
These creatures attacked the stranger with astonishing speed, and he could not see them during their assault.
Doll "Z" managed to repel the attack, but it sustained severe damage as a result of this terrifying assault.
In that moment Nicholas kept repeating to himself that he must protect his friends, be their support, and avenge the innocents this monster had killed.
The strange man ordered his doll to stop fighting and return to him.
Then he sighed and said: "That was an entertaining battle. I am sure you are as strong as they told me. Now I must go, and we will meet again next time. When that time comes, I will never spare you, and your end will be at my hands."
Nicholas laughed and said: "Does my strength frighten you that much? At least tell me your name so I can remember it and mock you always."
The stranger said: "It does not matter if you know my name, but you may call me: Jack the Butcher."
Nicholas said: "The next time we meet, you will forget the milk you drank from your mother when you were little. If you are done talking, I also want to leave and join my friends."
The stranger said: "You speak beyond your age, boy. We will meet again, and then you will regret what you said."
Nicholas replied: "Very well," and went off to his home.
He kept thinking about the strange man and what he wanted from him.
On his way, he passed a candy seller, bought some, and continued until he reached his home.
William met him and joked: "I thought you were dead."
Nicholas replied: "You wanted me dead, didn't you?"
William laughed and said: "I was only joking."
Nicholas responded: "I have told you a hundred thousand times, I do not like jokes. If you try that again, you will regret it."
William answered him: "Okay, what did that man tell you? How terrifying he is... Don't worry, we will talk about it later. I want to go to sleep now."
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