Under the full moon's light, five men dressed in black chased the young man.
"Somebody help me, please call the police!" The young man shouted, though knowing full well it was futile in this deserted part of the village.
"Why me? Did I do something wrong?" He asked while he ran to a half-collapsed house. He climbed the wall and jumped over the rubble to land on the wall on the other side.
"You freakish monster dare to ask!? You and your father both need to pay!" One of the men in black called out as they followed him through the window, one after the other, falling because of the rubble.
"Fools..." Allowing himself a low laugh, he dropped from the wall and dashed through the back garden.
The five men stumbling after him as one continued, "Your father messed with the wrong people this time!"
"Big surprise... not the first time though, and... Then find my f*ing dad first! I don't know where he is!" He ran through the jungle-like overgrown garden, navigating with ease, and quickly reached the back wall.
"Hop..." He almost jumped over it, and as he got to another house, he started running straight to its front gate.
"So sluggish..." At the gate, he turned to see the five crawling over the back wall, their skin scratched and bleeding everywhere.
"Anyway, bye... I hope you find the old man. I also have some things to say to him, so good luck, hahah." He became convinced he had escaped, but to be sure, he closed the gate and started running again.
Just as he was catching his breath on the road, the words he heard restricted his steps. "Oh, we found the old man first!"
His steps slowed, his eyes narrowing in silence. After a few more steps, he stopped and turned to face the two who had arrived first.
"How are you lot still alive? No, I don't care. Where is my father? What happened to him?" The full moon illuminated his face, revealing a young man in his early twenties.
His hair, shoulder-length, raven-black, swallowing the moonlight, was tied in a bun.
He rolled up his sleeves, his scarred forearms exposed beneath the moonlight.
"Speak." His voice was calm, devoid of anger or concern. He assumed a martial arts stance.
"Oh, don't worry, you'll see, The South Immortal in the afterlife, child!" One of the men charged at him.
"Afterlife... My dad? Hah, good jokes..."
The young man's mind raced... 'Are they from that army?'
'Anyway, let's beat them first, I'll talk later...' He pushed aside his thoughts, focusing on the fight.
The first man came at him swinging.
Too slow.
The young man caught the punch before it could reach him and threw the man over his shoulder.
The attacker's smirk vanished midair.
*Khah—* His body hit the asphalt hard enough to steal the scream from his lungs. He only gasped, eyes wide, while the young man turned toward the others.
"Careful, your—"
Too late.
The young man kicked the gasping man's head, knocking him out cold.
The second man froze. 'Fuck, he's a monster for real. He can even use Mana... wasn't it stated that he lost his power!?'
But there were no tricks. No spell. Only skills carved into him by surviving hell.
"You!" The second man rushed in, throwing a punch.
The young man dodged, caught his wrist, and pulled him forward.
"Weak..."
"Eat this...!" The man's fist slammed into his stomach.
"Hmh..." The young man's eyes narrowed.
'He shifted his balance with mana? Sloppy... but stronger than expected.'
He tripped the man, drove a knee into his stomach, then grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head into the ground.
Blood splattered.
"Huh? Oh..." It was stronger than he wanted.
"Hey, are you dead?" The young man nudged him with his foot.
No movement. 'Ugh, I will get beaten for this...'
But he had no time to think of that... Footsteps.
Three more men came running.
The young man reached into his pocket and threw his keys into the face of the largest one.
"Now." He rushed forward, shouldered the big man aside, used the impact to push himself off, and drove his fist into the face of the man on the right.
Bone cracked. Blood burst from the man's nose.
Then pain struck his back.
"Hmh...?" The leader's kick was stronger than expected.
The young man turned and backhanded him, but another blow struck his left side before he could fully recover.
'Strong... coordinated...' For the first time in a long while, pain spread through him, and a small smile formed.
The man with the broken nose grabbed him from behind, but his legs wobbled. The young man used that weakness, twisted free, and slipped out of their encirclement.
"Fuck! Are you okay?" the leader shouted toward the big man bleeding from his head on the ground, but there was no response.
"Why come after me so unprepared?" the young man asked.
The leader hesitated.
Then he nodded at his men. The two drew knives.
The young man raised an eyebrow. "You should know I can't be harmed by—"
"Shut up! We've been hunting you for years! We know no normal weapon will harm monsters like you!"
'Then why...?' At that moment, Red veils appeared in his vision.
Not above him, above two of the fallen men.
"What?" The two standing men threw their knives.
The blades pierced the throats of their own comrades.
The young man's eyes widened. The moment blood touched the road, a faint red aura crawled around the two still standing.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice calm, but interested.
"I'm sure you monsters look down on us humans..." the leader said, satisfaction twisting his face. "But humanity is advancing."
'Advancing...?' The red aura thickened.
'This feels murderous...?'
They attacked before he could think more.
Their moves came faster and stronger than before. But that was it...
The young man caught the leader's leg mid-kick, but the other attacker drove a fist into his open stomach.
"Ugh..." He ignored the pain, grabbed the man's face, and smashed him into the asphalt while pushing the leader away.
The man screamed once before dizziness swallowed him. The young man silenced him with a single punch.
Only the leader remained.
The young man stood, barely breathing heavier.
"It's been a long time since I had to fight so many at once... And you lot are strangely strong too." He stepped closer.
"I had to cut down the numbers fast." Then he kicked the leader's side.
The man folded. Another kick struck his face, sending him to the ground too.
"Even still, I'm his son. What did you expect? Even with my powers stolen, there were times I fought dozens. Did you think that red aura thing would be enough?" As he kicked the leader again and again, blood filled the road, staining it red.
"Now, I ask you, where is my father? What have you lot done to him? Which organization is it this time?" He lifted the supposed leader by the collar, his voice calm but firm.
The leader spat, "Fuck... you..." defiant even in defeat. Blood flowed from the deformed head, the kicks were too strong, the man's face became crushed and swollen, and even some of his teeth fell out, not to mention his body.
"Hm... No, this isn't the answer." The young man twisted one of his fingers.
*AHHHH* The man screamed, his face contorting in pain. "Now?" The young man's voice remained delicate, almost gentle.
"Go... and fucking die... Monster!" The leader cursed again, and another finger broke. *AHhHH...*
"If you don't want more broken, tell me where my father is. I have business with him."
"It's... it's..."
"Hm?"
"Ah... ahaha... probably the black market..."
"Yeah, but where?"
"..."
"I'm patient," The young man said, though his actions spoke otherwise.
*Crack* Another sharp crack echoed through the street, followed by a wet, strangled gasp.
"Ah... ah..." The leader choked on his own blood, his defiance finally cracking. "I-In pieces..."
The leader grinned through broken and bloody teeth. "You trash fucking monster!"
"What?" This wasn't a question directed at the man anymore.
"The money on his head is a billion... what do you think an Immortal heart is worth?"
"..." The young man's face was still... he wasn't surprised, angry, or scared... yet... something changed.
From birth, the monster could tell lies and truth apart. He never understood why... and this... he could tell, it was no lie.
*Ahchg...* The young man's grip changed, tightening around the man's throat.
"..." As he squeezed, the persona his father had worked hard to create started to crack.
'Kill them, eat them, carve out their hearts!' Voices clamored in his head.
'Son...'
'Kill them!'
*Ahchg...*
"Shut up!" He shouted, shaking his head, but his grip only tightened.
'Don't be a monster...'
'Disembowel them!'
*Ahchg...*
"Shut up!!"
'I'll always be there for you... after all...'
"..."
'I'm Immortal...'
"Father..."
"..."
"You..." His eyes cleared, but his hands didn't release the man's throat.
"You lied too..." His thoughts were cold and clear. At this moment, the red veils moved above his head, stretching closer.
{All beings have a purpose...}
"..."
*Ahchg...* His hand was still slowly crushing the man's throat.
{Even if they don't know what their purpose is, every being is trying to find or create one... this is true for humans, gods, and any concept that was ever born.}
"Why?" At this moment, he glimpsed the red, not the one on his hands, but the one... the one above him.
"Why must you steal the last of my life!?" He lifted his head towards the sky, the approaching and embracing veils, and shouted. "Was my mother not enough!?" His eyes locked onto the descending red veil.
{As a young being is stripped of his purpose, his very existence is questioned.}
"You took my sister, you took my love, and now my father!?"
"What is it that you want!?" His eyes blazed red, matching the veil above.
*Ahchg...* With a final, vicious twist, the leader's neck snapped under his grip.
Before the body could even hit the ground, *Puff* a sharp sound echoed from the shadows.
"Cough...?" The young man wobbled, staring down at the sudden, clean hole piercing through his chest.
"This... How is that thing still standing? These were holy... and the new generations... how..." Words from behind him were barely heard.
"I..." The young man's thoughts were clouded. He was already...
"...!?" Green flames erupted around him.
"How!? What is this shit!?" The people approaching from behind screamed.
"I... I DENY IT!!!" His words carried a weight that seemed to shake the very air. The world around him plunged into darkness and blood...
...
When the young one opened his eyes again, the world he saw was drenched in an eerie, suffocating red.
*Badum... Badum...* A strange rhythmic beat echoed through the silence, like a drum marking the passage of time.
*Badum... Badum...*
'The scent of iron...? No... is this...?' The thoughts floated in the stillness, struggling to comprehend the vastness of the red. Questions began to flood the fading mind, but before it could be swallowed by guilt, something diverted its attention. Among the rhythmic beats... a sound barely heard.
*Badum... Badum...*
{Is there anything left to do if he has no purpose?}
'Well, this is it then.' It was satisfied...
'Who...?' Yet the beat grew louder, more insistent. He felt a dull, throbbing pain; this small body felt heavy, almost numb. The incredible strength it had just wielded seemed to be slipping away.
*Badum...Badum...*
'The moon... it is still... the same...' He comforted himself with the moon, still shining brightly, which was a stark contrast to the darkened, silent world below.
"The world... didn't drown... I... I didn't fail... right...?" His voice was barely a whisper, lost in the oppressive dark sea.
"Father?" The word left his lips, carrying the weight of a child seeking comfort in a world turned upside down.
"Father....?" Questions that had long lost their meaning. Yet these were the last words of a child who just wanted one thing, and even that was taken from him.
*Badum... Badum...*
The strange beat continued, but now, its accompanying voice—a faint, distant sound—became clearer with each beat.
The young one closed its eyes for the last time, listening to the pounding, 'A heartbeat...? No... it isn't just a heartbeat, it is mine... But... What is this...?'
*Badum...*
[Ho... is dec...]
*Badum...*
'A voice? Who...?' Hearing the strange sound, the creature tried to open its eyes, but the human shell could no longer do so. Instead, the thing waited and listened.
*Badum...*
[The Host's HP is decreasing...! ] As the heartbeat slowed, more and more of the voice broke through the void.
*Badum...*
[Warning: The Host's HP is decreasing dangerously fast!]
*Badum...*
[Warning: The Host's HP is dangerously low!]
[The Host will die in 3...2...]
'Wait...!' The boy's mind screamed from somewhere deep inside, panic and confusion gripping him.
[Notice: Acquired Legendary Skill!]
And It answered.
[Legendary Skill Reincarnation has activated!]
In that instant, the oppressive red hue shifted. The suffocating darkness gave way to a blinding light, and the rhythmic beat ceased, replaced by an overwhelming silence.
As consciousness faded, a final thought lingered, echoing in the void: 'Is this... the end?'