Beneath the storm-laden clouds, Alpha stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the two creatures before him. His eyes were sharp as a blade's edge—no trace of hesitation, only a terrifying calm before the storm.
The first monster smiled, its grin grotesque, its mouth stretched as if its skin had torn to reveal jagged teeth like shards of glass. It took a slow step forward, studying Alpha with a look of twisted curiosity and mockery.
Its voice was a grating rasp, like iron dragged across stone:
*"You're not like them... Not like the weaklings we crushed here... Your blood... your scent... your strength... You're different."*
Alpha remained silent.
The second monster laughed, its voice lighter, faster. It circled Alpha with shadow-like agility, darting left and right as if taunting him. Its tone dripped with scorn:
*"Different? Ha! Just another arrogant fool... pretending to be strong... acting all cold... But in the end... he'll break like the rest."*
The first monster paused, raising a clawed hand in a gesture almost... inviting. Its voice turned eerily earnest:
*"What do you say, Alpha? Why not join us? We don't kill your kind without reason... Your power would be valued among us... You could become one of us... One of the cursed bloodline."*
Alpha didn't move, but his gaze grew colder.
The second monster suddenly leapt in front of him, waving its hands theatrically:
*"Come on... don't be boring! Join us! We'll turn this city into a playground of chaos... You'll be part of that glorious darkness—death, blood, and ashes! Isn't that better than the solitude you cling to?"*
It swayed around him like a deranged jester, tilting its head with a sneer:
*"Or... are you scared? Scared of us? Of the truth you refuse to admit?"*
In a flash, the second monster lunged, its clawed hand shooting toward Alpha's chest, its face twisted in a demonic grin—
But Alpha vanished.
A fraction of a second later, he stood directly before the first monster.
The second monster cackled, pointing accusingly:
*"See?! SEE?! He tried to hit me! Didn't I tell you? Just a proud bastard pretending to be calm! He's plotting to stab you in the back the first chance he gets!"*
Its voice was poison—hissing, goading, dripping with malice, as if pouring slow venom into their ears.
Alpha stood unmoved. No anger, no reaction... Only a silence so heavy it choked the air.
Then, in a voice like gravel and winter, he spoke:
*"Aren't you going to introduce yourselves... before yapping like stray dogs?"*
A beat of silence.
Then the first monster erupted in laughter—a sound so monstrous it vibrated the air.
*"Hah! My name? Ah... I forgot my name centuries ago... But..."*
It tilted its head skyward and began muttering in a guttural tongue, a language of jagged syllables and distorted whispers, like some ancient demonic chant.
Then it gestured to the second monster:
*"And this one... its name is—"*
The words that followed were incomprehensible—a cacophony of barks, screeching metal, and spectral wails.
For a moment, Alpha felt the vibrations crawl into his skull, heavy and filthy, a spiritual toxin seeping into his mind.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, exhaling through his nose as if amused by the absurdity.
*"So... these are the names of those who've lost their humanity? Just hollow, disgusting noises... utterly meaningless."*
His stare never wavered, cold and calculating, as if already planning how to bury them—and their wretched sounds—forever.
---
### **The First Strike**
As Alpha faced the first monster, the air grew suffocatingly still. The only movement was the ice in Alpha's gaze. Slowly, he raised his hand.
For a fleeting second, the monster thought he might extend it in some mocking handshake—
But Alpha's fingers curled into a fist.
The air around his clenched hand warped violently, as if reality itself were being crushed into a single point—
Then, with a sickening *crunch*, the first monster's head exploded.
Blood and gore sprayed outward like a macabre flower blooming in midair.
The second monster stumbled back, its mask of indifference cracking. Deep down, it realized: Alpha wasn't just an enemy.
He was a walking catastrophe.
---
### **Regeneration**
Silence followed the brutal strike. The first monster's head had dissolved into black dust... yet Alpha kept his fist raised, unfazed, as if nothing had happened.
But then—
A voice, cold and slithering, emerged from the dissipating haze:
*"Heh... Good... Very good... I haven't felt such thrill in ages."*
The shadows and scattered flesh began reforming, the first monster's head reassembling itself piece by piece, defying death itself.
Alpha's lip curled.
*"Regeneration... How tedious."*
The first monster wiped its mouth with the back of its hand, its smile lifeless.
*"You know... I admire your strength... But why waste it on these weaklings? These humans? Do they truly deserve your protection?"*
Alpha scoffed.
*"I protect no one. I only kill what annoys me—whether human or... things like you."*
The second monster, still crouched in the rubble, coughed out a laugh:
*"Hah! See, brother? He's more like us than them... His place is with us... Among killers... Among the strong..."*
It circled Alpha again, a predator sizing up prey, edging closer—
*"Join us... Imagine our combined power. You don't belong with them. You're just like us... A monster."*
Alpha's reply was glacial:
*"I belong to no one. And I don't need titles bestowed by the scum of the earth."*
The first monster chuckled.
*"I like your arrogance... But remember—arrogance without sufficient power... is just stupidity."*
Suddenly, the second monster flashed forward, reaching for Alpha's chest—
*"Come now... Don't be stubborn—"*
Alpha's foot lashed out in a blur, kicking it sideways with enough force to send it crashing through a building in a plume of dust.
From the wreckage, the second monster laughed hoarsely:
*"Hah... As ruthless as expected..."*
But the first monster didn't move. Its eyes glowed with hellish light as it murmured:
*"How emotional you've become... Seems you've forgotten who stands before you."*
It stepped closer, its voice dripping with false courtesy:
*"By the way... Isn't it polite to ask the names of those you'll fight to the death? Or does the legendary Black Dragon Alpha lack such... refinement?"*
Alpha flicked his wrist dismissively.
*"Names? Titles? Irrelevant. I don't fight labels... I only fight nuisances."*