They say when a door slams shut in your face, a window is the next best option.
That was precisely the situation Diente found himself in.
He had used the pixies to send the entire amusement park into a deep, supernatural slumber.
The dragon boy and his midget sister were pinned down, completely out of options, and Diente could practically taste the sweet flavor of victory.
All he had to do was walk right up, grab the girl, and leave.
Unfortunately, fate decided to take a massive dump on his plans.
Out of nowhere, Girder smashed into the amusement park like a runaway freight train.
Diente could do nothing but silently curse his rotten luck.
To make matters worse, the dragon boy took advantage of the chaos and attempted to flee the scene.
Keyword: attempted.
The very next second, Girder decided the dragon boy was his personal problem, and the two escalated into a brutal, bloody fight to the death.
Seeing the window open wide, Diente didn't mind the turn of events one bit.
While the two powerhouses tore each other apart in the background, Diente scooped up Haley, slipped through the shadows, and bolted from the scene completely unnoticed.
The moment he was in the clear, he contacted his mistress, reporting that the target was secured and the task was complete.
With his mission accomplished, he set off toward the heart of the city in a delightfully jolly mood.
***********
The evening sky above Central City was painted in breathtaking hues of amber, violet, and crimson.
At the city center, the main plaza was packed to the brim with elaborate decorations, blinding lights, and an eager crowd.
The main stage was set, anticipation buzzing in the air.
Shaniqua's long-awaited concert was about to begin.
Everything was picture-perfect, but someone was about to ruin every single bit of it.
Diente, overflowing with absolute confidence and a sickeningly smug grin, sauntered onto the main stage.
Seeing an uninvited stranger strutting past the barricades, two burly security guards immediately stepped up to block his path.
"Hey! Back off, pal, stage is off-limits—"
Diente didn't even let the man finish.
With a flick of his wrist, he produced his slender black wand and slashed it through the air.
A wave of sickly green magic swept over the guards.
In an instant, their flesh liquefied, sloughing off their bones in dark, rotting clumps before they even hit the floorboards.
Stepping gracefully over the steaming remains, Diente tapped his wand against the control console.
The stage floodlights flared to life, and blinding spotlights converged directly on him, framing his dramatic entrance.
The onlookers blinked in confusion, muttering to one another.
Who the hell was this colorful clown?
Diente bowed low, sweeping an arm wide. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! A very happy evening to you all!" His voice echoed through the speakers. "You should be rejoicing! Tonight, you get to be part of something so much greater than your mundane existence. Be grateful that your utterly meaningless lives will finally serve a real purpose!"
The crowd didn't take kindly to the condescension.
The initial confusion quickly turned into anger and agitation.
"Get off the stage, asshole!"
"Who the fuck invited this freak? Call security!"
"Get your stupid ass here fucker."
Insults flew, followed closely by half-empty soda cups and plastic bottles.
Diente merely chuckled, drinking in their rage like fine wine.
A squad of heavy security personnel rushed the stage from both wings, weapons drawn. "Hands where we can see 'em! On the ground, now!"
Diente rolled his eyes.
"Boring."
He twirled his wand and cast a dark spell.
A pulse of invisible force slammed into the guards, paralyzing them instantly in mid-stride.
They stood frozen, eyes wide with sudden terror.
Then, a sickening crunching sound echoed through the audio system.
One by one, the guards' teeth loosened from their gums.
Their jaws unhinged unnaturally as their own detached teeth sprouted razor-sharp mandibles, turning inward and violently devouring their hosts from the inside out.
"GYAAAAHHH, GULG, GU—"
"HELP, AAAAHHHG—"
Blood squirted across the stage canvas as the men collapsed, screaming and gurgling on their own teeth as they were eaten alive.
SQUELCH, SQUELCH!
Horrible, wet tearing sounds filled the air, followed by a brief, heavy silence as the scene concluded.
Then came total, unadulterated pandemonium.
"HOLY SHIT! RUN!"
"OH MY GOD, HE KILLED THEM!"
"GET OUT OF HERE! MOVE!"
The horrified crowd finally realized they were standing in front of a cold-blooded monster.
The tight mass of people broke, scattering like terrified deer fleeing a hungry tiger.
People trampled over chairs, pushed past one another, and screamed at the top of their lungs, desperate to escape the plaza.
Diente, however, was just getting started.
Thoroughly enjoying the chaotic orchestra of panic, he held his wand high, a sinister smile stretching across his face.
He channeled a massive surge of dark magic through the core of his wand.
DOOOM!
A beam of deep, shadowy light shot upward, piercing straight into the evening sky.
Where the beam hit, the colorful twilight evaporated, replaced instantly by swirling, pitch-black storm clouds laced with dark lightning and thunder.
CRACKEL, CRACKLE!
KEKEKEKEKEKE!
The clouds violently churned, and with a series of high-pitched, manic cackles, swarms of wicked creatures began raining down from the sky, spreading across the city like a plague of locusts.
Imps.
The miniature demons swooped down in massive, chattering waves.
A single imp was manageable, but a swarm of hundreds was a death sentence.
They fell upon anything that breathed or moved—humans, stray animals, birds, static vehicles, and even trees.
They tore with sharp claws and bit with jagged teeth, ripping into flesh and metal alike.
Screams of agony and pain echoed off the skyscrapers as the city's grand festival of music violently devolved into a nightmare of horror and bloodshed.
And Diente?
He was pirouetting across the blood-stained stage, humming a cheerful tune and pulling off theatrical ballerina moves, completely intoxicated by his own work.
"I see you are enjoying yourself, worm," a cold, sinister voice echoed from directly behind him.
Diente froze mid-spin.
He immediately straightened his coat, cleared his throat, and turned around with a flourish so slick and performative it would make a con man cringe.
The shadows behind the stage pooled together, rising and solidifying into the terrifying form of Gnathia, the Toothseeker.
The second she manifested in full view, Diente dropped to one knee, lowering his head in absolute submission. "Mistress! What an absolute honor. I am beyond thrilled to see you looking so splendid."
Gnathia didn't waste time with his bootlicking. "Cut the crap. Where is the dragon girl?"
Diente flicked his wand.
A tear in reality opened above the floorboards, a dark pocket of space that unceremoniously vomited the unconscious body of Haley onto the stage.
With a simple flick of her wrist, Gnathia used her telekinesis to levitate the young girl up until they were eye-to-eye.
Gnathia pried Haley's mouth open, her sharp eyes scanning the rows of teeth until they locked onto a specific target—a single loose baby tooth on the verge of falling out.
Pinching it between two clawed fingers, Gnathia plucked the tooth free without a second thought.
She held it up to the light, inspecting the raw, potent magical residue shimmering around the root.
A wicked, triumphant grin stretched across Gnathia's face. "The latent power in this one... she is perfect for my true awakening."
She tossed the bloody tooth casually toward Diente, who caught it deftly, before letting Haley's limp body drop back onto the wood.
"Start the ritual," Gnathia commanded, her eyes burning with dark ambition. "It's time this miserable world finally bows at my feet."