"Arrggh!" Axel bent down, the pain searing through him like molten lava. His body shuddered as he puked another wave of blood onto the cold stone floor. Every pulse of his heart felt like a hammer striking his ribs. The attack had drained more from him than it had from his opponent, leaving him gasping, trembling. Experience tales at m v|l e'-novelhall.net
Axel raised his head, eyes burning with frustration, and caught sight of his hand. It hovered in the air, still suspended after the brutal punch he had delivered. His skin was charred, his knuckles cracked and bleeding, white smoke sizzling from the scorched flesh. His hand looked like it had been dipped in acid, burned beyond recognition.
**Deceased Touch.** It was a skill meant to kill, and it had worked—just not in the way Axel had intended. The backlash was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His fingers twitched involuntarily, as if the very essence of the skill was fighting to consume him from the inside out.
His thoughts raced, panic bubbling beneath the surface. Why was this happening? Why now? He had used this ability countless times, but never had it burned him like this.
There was no time to think. No time to recover.
From the debris of the shattered wall, Rowin emerged, coughing up dust and blood. His once-formidable frame was hunched, broken, and trembling. His legs gave out as he collapsed onto the ground, leaning against the remains of the wall that had barely survived their battle.
"I see," Rowin rasped, his voice low but edged with a dark amusement. His chest heaved with ragged breaths as he raised his hands to his face, his charred, skeletal fingers shaking. The skin was dark and flaking, almost turning to ash. "That hit... was meant to kill me, wasn't it? How inhumane."
He dropped his hands to his sides, a twisted grin forming on his battered face as he chuckled softly. "Even with all my powers, I couldn't block it fully." He looked up at Axel, his eyes glowing with a mix of hatred and admiration. "You're a monster, Axel. Just like me. Maybe you don't understand it yet, but you will... This world will turn its back on you, just like it did to me.
Your friends? They'll detest you, loathe you for what you are. Mark my words."
"Shut up!" Axel snapped, wincing as he clutched his deformed hand. His voice echoed in the dimly lit hall, vibrating with raw anger and something darker—something he didn't fully understand yet. He staggered towards the door, his body protesting every step as he limped away from the carnage they had created.
Every breath felt like it was tearing him apart. Rowin's words gnawed at the edges of his mind, but Axel refused to let them sink in. **I'm not like him. I'm not.**
Just as Axel reached the door, a thought slithered into his mind, cold and vicious. His head whipped around, and for a moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Bloodlust radiated from him, thick and suffocating.
"If you ever come near me or my family again..." Axel's voice was deadly quiet, but his intent was unmistakable. "I'll show you a fate worse than death."
"Where's the human?" the Fatek boss growled, his deep voice rumbling like thunder. His two heads swiveled, locking onto her as he took another menacing step forward. "Where's the meal?"
The woman let out a soft scoff, her confidence unwavering. "To be precise, my name is Mimiko," she said, her voice lilting, as though she were enjoying a private joke. "And there's no meal today. The bar was empty. Besides," she tilted her head, that grin widening, "I don't do slavery anymore."
The Fatek boss roared, his foul breath washing over her as he stepped into the light. His hands twitched, ready to tear her apart. "What did you just say?"
Mimiko's smile never faltered. "We are no longer your slaves. The human worms you've controlled for so long? We've evolved. We've conquered human society—we've infiltrated their armies, their governments, their hunters. And we can wipe you out if we choose to."
The Fatek boss blinked, taken aback. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The human worms had been nothing but disposable tools, yet now... there was something different about them. An evolution that had spun out of control.
"Then why are you here?" His voice was softer now, more calculating. He didn't like surprises.
Mimiko chuckled. "This isn't a threat. It's an opportunity. We want a partnership. We want you to complete the perfect cell and take over Earth. We even have a volunteer for the serum—a hunter named Rowin, who is on the verge of becoming an A-rank."
She turned on her heel, her footsteps echoing as she walked away, leaving the Fatek boss standing there, bewildered.
"Who... Who is your boss?" he called after her, his two voices trembling with uncertainty.
Mimiko paused, her back still turned. He couldn't see the grin spreading across her face, but he could feel it. The air around her seemed to thrum with danger.
"My boss?" she whispered, the words dripping with malice.
"Metorion... The end of this world and the birth of a new age."
***Author's note***
Trying my best to make recovery while typing... I'll be posting 3 Chapters today. Please support me.