Chapter 74: Twisted Encounter
It was as if she stood face-to-face with someone who was not human.
'I-- I need to get out of here,' Her mind raced with the urgent need to flee.
Despite her trembling body and soaking wet underwear, she tried to stand up, but her knees buckled beneath her weight, sending her crashing back to the ground.
'Move, please move,' she pleaded, hitting her legs to force them to cooperate.
'Please move!' Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to maintain control of her emotions.
"Move!" With a final push, her instinct for survival kicked in, allowing her to move her feet using the adrenaline.
She forced herself to stand and weakly run away from him.
On the other hand, Reign just observed as she disappeared from his sight.
'That was close,' he thought to himself.
Just a few moments ago, an urge to devour her alive surged within him, driven by his monster nature.
Strangely, he wasn't even hungry, and there were other potential targets just lying dead on the ground.
But there was something about the girl that made her scent irresistible.
It wasn't particularly noticeable from a distance, but when he got closer, his senses became intoxicated. The temptation only intensified when he caught the scent of her fear.
Not even Anna, who was undoubtedly much prettier, and with an almost flawless face, was as appetizing as that girl.
'I need to focus and deal with this situation first,' he muttered, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
There were still the bodies on the ground that needed to be dealt with.
He looked down and saw the four men he had just killed.
They lay sprawled on the ground, their skulls broken, blood pooling around them, a proof to the violence that he had just caused.
Fortunately, this part of the city did not have a lot of CCTV cameras, so he could feed on the corpses without fear of being caught on surveillance.
He scanned his surroundings first, confirming that there were no people in sight.
With his heightened senses, he could detect anyone trying to spy on him, and he felt none.
It was just him and his soon to be food, alone in the silent and dirty alleyway.
As he approached the headless corpse, he had to remove his mask to avoid damaging it for what would he do next.
CRACK
CRACK
CRACK
Cracks echoed slowly as his mouth widened, stretching until it reached his ears like a true monster.
This time, he just swallowed the bodies whole, like some sort of anaconda. They disappeared into his gaping maw as if there was a black hole in his esophagus.
His new method of feeding allowed him to devour the corpses at a much faster pace.
'Not enough,' he clicked his tongue in annoyance, his gaze shifting towards the direction the girl had fled.
"I want to taste her, I want to eat her" he muttered, putting back his mask and bandages before giving chase.
Originally, he had intended to let her escape, but the temptation proved too overwhelming to resist.
Now, consumed by it, he felt as though he would lose his sanity if he didn't consume her.
SWOOOOSH!
He darted through the alley, his movements fast but silent. Each step brought him closer to his prey, his senses honed to pinpoint her location.
It didn't take him long to find her.
His initial assumption was that she had fled to a more crowded area for safety, but to his surprise, he discovered her trembling body tucked away in the corner of a large garbage container.
'What an idiot,' Reign muttered, shaking his head in disdain. The girl lacked even the most basic common sense.
THUD!
The sound of his feet hitting the ground echoed as Reign descended before her like a specter.
"N-- No!" she tried to cry for help but before she could fully comprehend what was happening, his hands clamped over her mouth, stifling any further sound.
"SSHHHHS, Keep your mouth shut," Reign warned her.
She shrank back against the cold metal of the garbage container, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at his creepy and sadistic smile.
'I'm dead,' was the only thought she could muster.
"Blame your luck for this," Reign grumbled as he sank his teeth into her neck without any hint of hesitation.
Blood gushed out like a waterfall as his teeth pierced a nerve.
The girl's eyes widened in agony, her expression a mixture of shock and horror as she felt her neck being crushed.
With each passing moment, she grew weaker, her struggles futile against his bite. Her vision blurred, the edges of her sight turning darker and blurrier with each beat of her weakening heart.
What she was experiencing now surpassed the pain of a mere bite; Reign's ferocity twisted her neck with such force that the pain was too much to bear.
Reign, on the other hand, was enjoying the sensation coursing through him.
His entire body thrummed with power and satisfaction. She was the most delicious and satisfying meal he had ever tasted.
And as a bonus, the system notification rang .
[Level up +1]
He realized he had leveled up just by consuming a part of her. If he devoured her whole, he could become much stronger in one fell swoop.
However--
[System: Danger]
[System: Danger]
[System: Danger]
The sudden System Notification jolted him, and a sense of impending danger washed over him.
Reacting quickly, he jump away from the girl and assumed a defensive position, ready to confront whatever threat was coming .
But what happened next exceeded his expectations.
The girl, her neck mangled and twisted sideways, somehow stood up. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him, confirming what he already suspected: she was dead.
"A demon trying to devour the divine ?"
The girl's voice sounded different, stronger and more commanding than before. As she spoke, Reign watched in amazement as her neck began to heal and grow back.
'Not good. I need to get out of here,' he thought to himself, sensing the danger emanating from her.
There was no way she would spare him after he just tried to make her a snack, so he quickly turn sideways, and dash with his full speed.
"Trying to escape ?" The girl's voice echoed, and suddenly, Reign saw his body being restrained by golden chains.
CLINK!
CLINK!
He fought against the chains, using all his strength, but they refused to budge.
"Interesting. You resemble a demon, but you are not one at the same time," the girl spoke as she approached him.
She sat directly in front of him and began poking his hair.
"Let's see," she mumbled, then a golden light surrounded her hands. The moment she reached out to touch Reign, the same golden light enveloped him as well.
The light continued to course through his body, penetrating even his soul. It felt as though she was unraveling his origin right before his very eyes.
"I--Impossible!" Her eyes widened in disbelief, her expression changing into a mix of astonishment and fear as she stumbled on a truth she was never meant to uncover.
[System: Force Interference Detected]
[System: Force Interference Detected]
[System: Force Interference Detected]
[System: Activating Defense Mechanism]
When the final notification rang out, Reign's consciousness suddenly shut down.
Without him being aware, a crimson energy surged forth, enveloping his entire body.
The red energy, like a virus, devoured the golden light, consuming it with alarming speed.
She recoiled in panic, attempting to pull out her hand, but it was too late.
The red energy had already infected her. With a desperate move, she severed her own right arm to prevent the spread from corrupting her further.
When the severed arm fell to the ground, it began to decay rapidly, disintegrating into dust before her very eyes.
"I won't forget this," she vowed, her voice filled with anger .
With a deep breath, she focused on regenerating her missing arm, but to her dismay, the process was agonizingly slow.
In fact, it only healed and close the wounds, still leaving her with a missing arm.
"You're dead!" she shouted in frustration, her anger manifesting as more golden chains began to form around her body.
But before she could launch an attack, the chains broke down, leaving her kneeling on the ground and grasping for breath.
"This body is already at its limit? I know it," She sighed heavily, regretting the fact that she had to show herself too soon because of this incident .
The body she currently possessed was nothing more than a vessel; her true form resided in another realm altogether.
"You're lucky," she remarked, her voice dripping with disdain as she cast one final glance at Reign before turning away and leaving.
***
Author's Note.
I will only be uploading one chapter today because I'm still recovering from a cold. I don't want to force myself to write too much while I'm sick because it might affect the story. Thank you.