Nocthar, hidden within the suffocating darkness, slowly lifted his gaze.
His yellowish eyes glowed faintly.
They locked onto the figure that had just intruded into his domain, feeling a little confused and amazed. How dare someone intrude into his domain. Such boldness and recklessness isn't something you see everyday, especially now in this ruined world where everybody suddenly became a little more smart and rational.
He first thought it was a general of the Heat Emperor looking for him. Maybe to inform him of some new rules or a change in the situation. But thinking back, even the generals of the Heat Emperor did not dare to approach him carelessly, let alone step into his territory without permission.
So, who was this man. His earlier shallow amazement then transformed into amplified curiosity.
Nocthar's lips curved slightly into a thin, amused smile.
"What gave him such courage to walk into my asylum?"
This place was his prison, asylum and workshop.
A place where fear was cultivated, harvested and consumed.
His eyes studied the burly figure carefully. Then fealt the faint subtle pressure he released which made Nocthar cautious.
In the current world shaped by the Inkforce, anyone who had survived this long was never simple.
He narrowed his glowing eyes slightly.
He'll have to probe more deeper before coming to a conclusion on how to handle this situation. If he ends up becoming a terrifying predator, then he'll have to tread carefully. But if he's just prey, he licked his blood stained lips with a cruel and perverted expression.
Nocthar's expression then shifted ever so slightly, his gaze slowly dropped to the body in his hand.
A shriveled, lifeless corpse.
Dry and twisted.
Its skin clung tightly to bone like an empty shell.
Then without warning, he threw it towards the intruder after wrapping it in his energy to isolate air resistance, thereby increasing the force released at the point of contact.
The corpse tore through the air violently, crashing toward Steven.
Steven's reaction was immediate. Although he didn't know what was approaching, he felt the terrifying force it carried.
He stepped sideways, clean and almost effortless.
The body slammed into the ground with a dull, heavy thud.
Steven's eyes followed to where it descended, he stepped closer to get a better look at what it was. He crouched down slightly with a sharpened gaze.
It was an unrecognisable mesh of dry flesh and bones. It was dead and broken beyond repair, but somehow, it's head was completely intact. He guessed it was done by whoever it was that threw the corpse here. He carefully examined the face and expression of the pitifully victim hoping to glean even a hint of information about the invisible enemy.
The pitiful victim's expression was frozen in place, eyes wide and mouth slightly open with a look of absolute terror.
Not ordinary fear or panic, but something deeper and more primal.
The kind of fear that stripped away reason. He found it a little disturbing because the victim has been purposely kept alive, watching as his body was deliberately drained down to dry skin and bones, which in turn, maximized his fear and despair. But what was the planned goal and end result of the enemy. He couldn't guess, but looking around at the piles of dry bones scattered around, he guessed the enemy must have been doing this for a very long time. How many victims were enough to provide these bones, he estimated about three to four thousand.
He stood up again, eyes darkened slightly.
This wasn't the work of a wild beast, it was something worse.
Something controlled, it understood exactly what it was doing.
He turned his gaze back toward the darkness.
The direction where the corpse had come from.
Then, he heard a voice echoing out.
Calm and soft but carrying a cold, merciless undertone.
"That feeling… in your chest…Don't suppress it."
Then it continued
"Let it be free, i want it to encompass your entire being."
The darkness shifted and from within it, a figure stepped forward.
Slowly revealing himself.
A lean, handsome man.
Almost unnaturally so.
His yellowish eyes glowed clearly even in the dim, suffocating room.
His body was well-built.
Not bulky, but perfectly defined.
Every muscle line sharp, precise and controlled.
He had white pale skin which was a little too pale, giving it an eerie feeling.
But what stood out the most was his hair.
Long and blood-red. It flowed all the way down to his waist, moving slightly as he stepped forward like it had a life of its own.
His entire body was drenched in blood. Some fresh, while others dark and dried, layered over time a long period of time.
The scent of iron intensified with his presence.
Combined with the faint, cruel smile resting on his lips,
He looked less like a human, and more like something that had abandoned humanity entirely but fed on it.
Steven felt it then.
A wave of pressure, heavy and oppressive.
It pressed against his body from all directions.
Not just physical, but something on a deeper soul level.
But his expression didn't change, his body just responded naturally and instinctively.
A surge of his own pressure rose to meet it.
Clashing silently against Nocthar's presence.
The air between them grew dense, unstable and dangerous.
Steven steadied his stance.
His breathing even and eyes locked on Nocthar without wavering.
A confrontation was inevitable.
This was not a presence he could reason with nor could he ignore.
This was a predator. And stepping into this room, had placed him directly inside its hunting ground.
But still, Steven asked calmly
"What feeling do you speak of"
Steven's hardened his expression as he asked.
His confusion forming a faint crease on his forehead.
The voice came again, but more colder and Sharper
"You're trying hard to prevent that feeling from going free by actively suppressing it"
He continued
" You're just delaying the inevitable...let it encompass you so I can start feeding."
Nocthar's tongue slid across his lips slowly with a greedy and crazed look.
His glowing yellow eyes flickered with something far more dangerous.
Hunger, pure and unfiltered which was terrifying.
His smile widened slightly as he continued with growing amusement
"But no rush, I'll absorb it sooner or later. When it happens makes no difference."
And then, he moved.
No, he simply vanished. It was like he had simply ceased to exist.
Steven's pupils shrank instantly.
His instincts screamed, but it was still too late.
A terrifying force crashed into his stomach.
"BOOM"
The impact was violent and heavy.
Steven's body bent like a shrimp from the blow as the shockwave rippled through him.
The ground beneath his feet cracked faintly.
A dull, suppressed sound echoed within the enclosed room.
The air froze.
Steven's eyes widened in pain and suprise.
That speed and power were really terrifying, especially since this was the enemy's base strength without the utilization of energy. With his Sharp fighting instincts, honed by countless brutal struggles in the wastelands, he estimated that the strength released by that punch earlier was close, if not more than 700 tons. The enemy was able to perfectly control such strength, releasing it into his body without causing any damage to the building. Maybe he was worried about losing his collections(bones). He thought.
It only took a few seconds to gather his thoughts after his body registrated the pain and damage caused.
Nocthar, standing behind Steven, one arm still extended in a punching stance became a little disappointed.
His glowing eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke again, his tone still cold and carrying a crazy edge to it
"Where's it. The feeling. The fear and despair a sheep feels before getting slaughtered. Free it."
The hunger in his eyes didn't fade but grew deeper, darker and more dangerous.
Steven slowly straightened his body after a period of relief. He had almost been blasted into pulp by the random punch of a mutant released with his base physical strength. An ordinary mutant would've been crushed flat instantly.
He turned around, his eyes locked onto the blood-soaked figure with hidden sharpness while a faint and dangerous aura began to leak from him. Dense but controlled.
"You talk too much. The fight just started. How dare you get distracted in a situation like this."
He spoke as the air shifted.
The tension spiking, both analyzing and probing the dept of their opponent.