In that moment, as his scream pierced the darkness, it was as if his voice had awakened something that was never meant to rise. The suffocating silence that enveloped the place began to shift—turning into faint whispers, sounds barely audible, yet enough to send shivers crawling across the young man's skin.
He slowly raised his head, hands still pressed tightly against the sides of it. Strange noises crept closer—distorted whispers, fragmented words echoing from every direction. The once-still darkness began to move, pulsing as if it were a living entity. The air around him grew cold.
"What now...?" he murmured under his breath, slowly standing to his feet, his pitch-black eyes scanning the void. The darkness thickened, as if
something dreadful was approaching.
Then he saw them.
Shapes began to form in the depths of the gloom—emerging from nothingness. These beings had no fixed form, their bodies shifting constantly, limbs stretching and retracting as if trying to find a suitable shape.
Twisted arms, unnaturally long fingers, crimson eyes glowing in the void, gaping mouths filled with uneven, jagged fangs dripping thick black liquid. These were not creatures of nature—they were chaos made flesh.
Some slid across the ground as though floating, while others walked with malformed legs, their joints bending at impossible angles—as if their bones were shattered but still forced to move.
And then came the sounds…
Unhuman cries—a mix of sorrowful wails and metallic screeches—as if the groans of tormented souls were fused into one dreadful sound. The cries grew louder, a primal hunger radiating from them, an insatiable thirst to tear apart anything alive.
"No… not now…" the young man muttered as he took a step back. His heart raced—not from fear, but frustration. It was as if this world had decided to punish him endlessly, refusing to grant even a moment of peace.
The creatures circled him gradually, their numbers growing, their cries rising from whispers to maddening shrieks that stabbed through his ears.
…
The echo of their cries filled the void like a hellish chorus that pierced the soul before the flesh. One of the creatures lunged at him with blinding speed, its massive feet cracking the ground beneath. The young man had no time to think—he raised his fist and struck.
"BOOOOM!"
The blow tore through the air with force, but the creature didn't vanish. It staggered back two steps, letting out a horrific shriek—more enraged than hurt.
"What the hell is this?!" the young man growled between ragged breaths, glancing at his hand now covered in strange darkness. His fist could usually crush solid stone—yet this thing barely flinched.
The creatures gave him no time to analyze. They attacked as one—moving with terrifying speed, closing in like walls of living death. One clawed at his throat, but he twisted his body at the last moment, slamming the creature aside with the back of his hand. Another had crept behind him, forcing him to spin around and strike again.
He fought with only his fists—blocking blows, landing punches in every direction. But they were too many, too fast. For every one he knocked down, ten more emerged from the shadows.
He tried to summon his usual strength—but was shocked when no pure energy flowed into him.
He always relied on the surrounding aura, absorbing its pure energy to amplify his power. But this time… there was nothing to draw from. Instead, the air was filled with strange particles—visible now, like dark wisps floating around him.
"This isn't pure energy…" he muttered, dodging another strike. "It's dark… these particles reject me. My body can't absorb them!"
His limbs felt heavy—like the air itself had turned into a barrier, weighing him down. The black particles weren't just atmospheric—they were
alive, hostile to his very presence.
"What is this place?!" he yelled, leaping back to avoid a claw that nearly tore open his chest.
Another creature dashed at him—faster this time. He barely managed to counter with a punch that sent it tumbling away, but the exhaustion was building.
"I can't keep this up…" he whispered, breath ragged. He scanned the darkness, hoping for an exit—but there was nothing but endless black.
The creatures didn't stop. They charged again—this time all at once. Claws and fangs glinting in the void.
The young man stepped back, then clenched his fists tightly.
"If I can't use my energy… then I'll fight with my body alone!"
The first creature lunged, but he ducked swiftly and drove a hard punch into its gut. He spun to dodge another from the side, then leapt high and kicked another square in the head.
The fight was chaotic—filled with rapid strikes and close-range combat. The creatures were fast and strong, but he relied on his honed instincts and precise movements to survive.
With every blow he landed, he grew more certain—this place wasn't natural. The dark particles weren't just in the air—they were actively trying to break him.
"These particles… they're not just blocking me. They're trying to strip away my body…"
He felt the darkness suppressing his energy, trapping his strength within, unable to release it. That power had always been his ally—but now, it was sealed.
Another shadow rushed at him, but he dodged, grabbed its claws, and hurled it away. He knew brute force wouldn't win this—not for long.
"If this place rejects me… then I'll reject it too!" he growled, his obsidian eyes gleaming with savage resolve.
He launched himself into the horde, fury burning in his gaze, fists clenched as if they carried all his hatred for this twisted world.
He unleashed a devastating punch that tore through a creature's form, unraveling its shadow into nothingness.
He spun around and blocked another strike with his elbow—causing the attacker's form to scatter like shredded smoke.
They were countless—but he didn't back down.
Though fatigue clawed at his muscles, his rage burned hotter—feeding on pain, transforming it into an unquenchable fire.
Then, suddenly—a burst of killing intent erupted from him. Dark, raw, overwhelming. Even the shadows recoiled, sensing something darker than themselves emanating from him.
He roared—his voice laced with a madness that transcended rage:
"You think you can stop me?!"
"I'll show you a fight that leaves nothing behind!"
Then he smiled—a twisted grin that held no joy, only pain and mockery of everything.
"This damned world never stops toying with me… fine. Let's play then."
His breaths quickened. The grin widened. Then he screamed—as if declaring rebellion against everything:
"Let's see who's more insane, you cursed world!"