Capítulo 21: This is Just the Beginning (2)
*Warning: This chapters contains some scenes which might not be suitable for some readers.*
"[Distortion]."
The air around me rippled as I activated my skill. Causing [Essence] around me to shift.
The [Elemental] flow controlled by Glory wavered and shattered like a broken glass.
The [Fire Essence] emanating from his [Point Breaker] vanished to nothing ness.
"What the—"
The room fell into silence.
Glory blinked in disbelief, his usual confident smirk flattered as he stared at me.
He was shocked.
". . ."
". . ."
He simply stared, trying to figure out my identity.
Finally he broke the silence, with a visible hint of confusion he asked.
"Who the hell are you?"
His voice was calm but I could hear a faint breath of unease from it.
'Perfect!'
I didn't answer.
Instead, I took a step forward. Slow and deliberate.
The evening light scattered through the shattered windows caught my red hair.
My hair shimmer like embers in a dying flame. My crimson eyes, locked onto his, like a predator eyeing his prey.
I knew my appearance and it wasn't accidental.
I had altered it deliberately, It's a part of a 'grand plan' for the near future, that I had so meticulously planned.
---
Glory stood tall, his spear now shifted from Ruby's neck, as she still on the ground.
She didn't flinch, her eyes filled with admiration and relief.
Glory slowly drew his [Point Breaker] toward the mysterious red-haired figure standing before him.
He raised an eyebrow and asked again, his voice was steady but laced with excitement.
Glory was intrigued.
Why wouldn't he be? Nullifying the effect of an ancient artifact wasn't something anyone can perform that easily.
It required extreme study regarding that particular Artifact, if someone ever wishes to alter it's effect.
Despite that, the red-haired figure did it and in a matter of second no less.
Glory asked, as he proceed to layer his spear with [Earth Essence]. "Before I kill you, tell me, who are you?"
The figure paused, tilting his head slightly as though thinking for an answer.
A faint smirk played on his lips.
"Nightmare," Zane replied, his voice was quiet, almost muffled.
Glory frowned. "What? I didn't catch that."
Zane's face has no expression, his voice cutting through the room like a blade.
"I said, I'm your worst nightmare. But. . . you can simply call me Nightmare."
The glow in Zane's crimson eyes intensified, and his hand moved to the hilt of his black katana. Slowly, he unsheathed the blade, the faint sound of steel sliding against steel echoing ominously in the ruined office.
Screech…
Zane's voice was cold, emotionless, but each word of his carried a weight that made the air feel heavier.
"Three seconds. That's the amount of time I'll need to cut off both your hands."
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, Glory burst into laughter—a loud, boisterous laughter that filled the room.
"Hah! Hahaha! Hahahahahha! You. . . You think you're some kind of edgy hero from a cheap novel?" he mocked, his voice dripping with derision. "Go home, kid! This is not th—"
Swoop
His sentence was cut short by a sharp, resonating click.
A spark of lightning crackled in the air, illuminating the room for a brief moment.
Before Glory could comprehend anything, a searing pain shot through him.
"AAAAARRRGH!!"
Glory's agonized scream echoed in the air as he staggered backward.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he noticed both of his hands were missing.
Blood sprayed across the office, his jagged veins, torn flesh of his wrists dripping with crimson blood.
The Yellowish bone marrow peeked out in a distorted manner from the stumps where his hands once were.
His severed hands, still holding his spear, lay motionless few meters away.
Kneeling down he clutched at his mangled arms, struggling to process the unbearable pain.
Zane Slowly sheathed his black katana back. In a calm, cold voice, he said, "My bad. It only took less than a second."
Glory's face turned into a furious growl as his face twisted with rage. Gritting his teeth, he began gathering [Earth Essence] around him.
But before he could channel the energy, Zane's voice cut through his effort.
"[Distortion]."
The air shimmered again, and the [Essence] Glory had summoned shattered in the air.
"HOW!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
Glory roared, his voice filled with disbelief and desperation.
His instinct clicked in as he took a step back.
Never once had he encountered someone so utterly beyond comprehension. The man before him—this person called Nightmare—was no ordinary foe.
'Who is he? Why is he doing this? Who sent him?' Numerous questions surged through his mind.
But above all the confusion, one thing is clear to him: the person standing before him was terrifyingly strong.
His confidence shattered.
He, a Rank 3 Hero—the third strongest human known to mankind— for the first time in his life felt powerless. His status, his confidence, his pride, all crumbled to dust.
"Wh–What… what do you want?" he stammered.
His movement was clumsy. Slipping on his own spilled bone marrow in the floor, Glory fell hard onto the ground.
"Please, spare me! I'll give you anything—money, power, anything you want!"
He pleaded.
But Zane didn't stopped. He walked forward, each steps of his was reverberating like the drums.
"Now you'll understand the meaning of being powerless," Zane said coldly, his crimson eyes gleaming with malice.
Glory wasn't able to use his skill because of [Distortion], he wasn't able to hold any weapon without his hands.
Zane stopped a few feet away from Glory, he took out his katana.
"Karma always collects its due," Zane murmured. "You've tortured and tormented others, exploiting their weakness, their helplessness. Now, it's your turn to feel the same."
Tears, saliva, and snot streamed down Glory's face as he begged for his life.
"P–Please don't! Why are you do—"
Zane didn't blink. In one fluid motion, he swung his katana, slicing a clean, shallow cut across Glory's torso.
The blade moved with surgical precision, peeling away layers of skin and muscle.
"AAAAHHHGGGG!" Glory screamed in agony, his voice was inhuman.
The room reeked with even more blood and exposed flesh.
Glory's chest and abdomen were split open, revealing his ribs, lungs, pancreas, and heart. His organs still beating and functioning sickeningly laid bare for everyone to see.
Despite all that, Glory wasn't dead yet—No, Zane deliberately let him live, avoiding slicing any vitals.
Zane wants to set an example for every 'Bastards' of Hero Association.
The cold air of the room rushed over Glory's exposed insides, causing him to shudder violently.
His pupils widened in horror as he saw his own internals slipping out, globs of yellow-green bile juice and crimson blood pooling beneath him.
Zane tilted his head, a sadistic grin spread across his face. "Man, your insides are as disgusting as you."
"Pfttt- Heh.. Hahahahahahahahahh!"
Zane laughter was cold and maniacal stripped away from any human emotions.
This very scene sends chill down Ruby's spine. She had been frozen in place the whole time, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.
For the first time, Ruby felt fear—not of Glory, but of Zane. She stared at him, unable to deal with this brutal, merciless version of him.
'Wh–What happened to him?' she thought, her hands trembling with uneasiness.
Meanwhile Glory had lost all quality of his sanity.
His screams had turned into pitiful whims as he lay in a pool of his own blood.
Zane crouched beside him. "You're pathetic," he whispered.
"W…ho? A..r.."
But before that, Zane took a slick black mask from his [Inventory Ring] and wore across his face.
"!"
Staring dead into Glory's eyes, Zane asked, "Now, do you recognized me?"
"YOU! HOW? WHY—"
Before he finishes, Zane raised his katana high. And with a final swing he brought it down on Glory's skull.
The sound it made was popping hard, like opening a soda bottle, the blade cleaving through his skull with ease.
Glory's head split open, his brown brain matter spilling onto the floor creating a grotesque fountain.
His lifeless body slumped to the ground, as blood pooling around him.
Zane turned slowly, looking onto Ruby.
"It's over now."
Ruby didn't responded. She simply stood there, her mouth parted but no words came out.
Ruby's gaze flickered to the life less, almost unrecognizable body on the floor, then back to Zane.
Her stomach churned as the image of Glory's exposed organs and split skull replayed in her mind.
She felt a wave of nausea, but she swallowed it down.
Zane tilted his head slightly, studying her. "What's wrong?" he asked.
His tone carried a genuine concern.
"Zane. . ." She finally managed to say something, but on closure look, she was crying.
"Ruby?"
"Zane… You… what made you…" Without voicing it out, Ruby just ran towards Zane and hugged him tightly, so tightly that it made Zane blushed a little.
All the emotions rushed back to Zane, as his emotionless face get back to normal. A bright color humanly glow returned back to his eyes.
"Hey! Ruby! Wh–what, Ouch! Ouch! H–Hey You are squeezing me! You are squeezing me! Hey stop! Stop—"
"Shut up. Just let me be like this."
End of Chapter.
[A/N]: I have changed my writing style, The sentences were shorter than previous chapters, and I think the fights scenes has to be in 3rd person pov. Do let me know in the comment.
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